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Mawani: Addition of a New Shipping Service to Connect King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam to 4 Global Ports

Mawani: Addition of a New Shipping Service to Connect King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam to 4 Global Ports
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Mawani: Addition of a New Shipping Service to Connect King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam to 4 Global Ports

Mawani: Addition of a New Shipping Service to Connect King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam to 4 Global Ports

The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has announced the addition Aladin Express DMCC's shipping service, Gulf-India Express 2 (GIX2), to King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam in a bid to boost direct trade and shipping between the Kingdom and the rest of the world.

MAwani said on its official site that the new service will connect the capital of the Kingdom's Eastern Province to the ports of Jebel Ali in the UAE, Khalifa Bin Salman in Bahrain, Hamad in Qatar, and Mundra in India every two weeks via the vessel Green Ace, which has a carrying capacity of 1740 TEUs.

"This step is part of the developmental drive undertaken by Saudi ports to elevate ports and the maritime transport sector as well as upgrade its portfolio of services to importers, exporters, and shipping agents in what is an extension to Mawani's pursuit of strengthening the logistics industry through building world-class logistics parks within and beyond port areas."

Similarly, measures such as launching the Smart Ports initiative to deploy and accelerate 5G-enabled digital transformation in local ports fall in line with the goals of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS) to position the Kingdom as a global logistics hub linking three major continents.

Last December saw global shipping lines such as Pacific International Lines (PIL), Regional Container Lines (RCL), and China United Lines (CUL) start a weekly shipping service from China to King Abdulaziz Port in collaboration with Saudi Global Ports (SGP). The port's competitiveness and expansionary plans were further bolstered with the addition of Shanghai and Singapore to PIL's service in June this year, therefore enhancing import and export operations.

The Port, which ranked fourteenth in the World Bank's Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) for 2021, handled a record 199,609 TEUs last August. This was the result of its best-in-class operating and logistical capabilities, continuing development streak, and resolve to scale greater heights in productivity and performance.

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US Coast Guard Says Hurricane May Shut Oil Ports

Vehicles are carried by ferry across Aransas Pass as Hurricane Beryl moves closer to the Texas coast, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Port Aransas, Texas. (AP)
Vehicles are carried by ferry across Aransas Pass as Hurricane Beryl moves closer to the Texas coast, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Port Aransas, Texas. (AP)
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US Coast Guard Says Hurricane May Shut Oil Ports

Vehicles are carried by ferry across Aransas Pass as Hurricane Beryl moves closer to the Texas coast, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Port Aransas, Texas. (AP)
Vehicles are carried by ferry across Aransas Pass as Hurricane Beryl moves closer to the Texas coast, Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Port Aransas, Texas. (AP)

The US Coast Guard warned of possible Texas port closures from Corpus Christi to Houston and began restricting vessel traffic because of Tropical Storm Beryl, which is expected to become a hurricane before making landfall by Monday morning at Port Lavaca.

Port closures could bring to a temporary halt shipments of crude oil to refineries and motor fuels from those plants.

Port condition "Yankee" was set by the Coast Guard captain of the port of Corpus Christi on Saturday afternoon, restricting vessel movement in ports from Matagorda Bay, 101 miles (163 km) southwest of Houston, to the US-Mexico border.

Citgo Petroleum Corp was cutting production at its 165,000 barrel-per-day Corpus Christi, Texas, refinery on Saturday ahead of the approach of Beryl to the Texas coast.

Citgo plans to keep the Corpus Christi refinery running at minimum production as the storm moves up the coast toward a projected landfall at Port Lavaca, a pipeline hub.

Oil producer Shell Plc completed the evacuation of workers from its Perdido production platform in the US-regulated Gulf of Mexico ahead of the approach of the storm, the company said on Friday night.

Production on Perdido was shut prior to the evacuations. Shell said it also evacuated workers from the Whale platform, which is due to start production later this year.

Gibson Energy, which operates a large oil terminal in Corpus Christi, said operations were continuing, but it would take further steps depending on the forecast.

The storm was moving on Saturday with maximum sustained winds near 60 mph (95 kmh), the National Hurricane Center said.

The latest forecasts would put Corpus Christi on the dry side of the storm where the lowest winds and least rain could be expected. But Beryl could bring gale-force winds to the port, which is why the Coast Guard restricts traffic or shuts the port.

Most of the northern Gulf's offshore oil and gas production is east of Beryl's forecast track.

US Gulf of Mexico offshore production of about 1.8 million barrels per day accounts for about 14% of total US crude output, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Any impact on supplies could push up prices of US oil and offshore crude grades.

Oil major Chevron Corp, among the biggest US offshore producers, said on Friday that production from its operated assets remained normal. But it evacuated nonessential personnel from some of its Gulf of Mexico facilities.

Murphy Oil Corp said it has not shut in production or evacuated personnel, and continues to monitor the storm.