Aramco Signs First Contract for King Salman Int’l Complex for Maritime Industries and Services

Ahmed Al-Sa’adi, Saudi Aramco’s Senior VP for Technical Services with executives of Contractor Managements. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Ahmed Al-Sa’adi, Saudi Aramco’s Senior VP for Technical Services with executives of Contractor Managements. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Aramco Signs First Contract for King Salman Int’l Complex for Maritime Industries and Services

Ahmed Al-Sa’adi, Saudi Aramco’s Senior VP for Technical Services with executives of Contractor Managements. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Ahmed Al-Sa’adi, Saudi Aramco’s Senior VP for Technical Services with executives of Contractor Managements. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Aramco signed a contract with a consortium including Saudi Archirodon Company Ltd and Huta Hegerfeld AG Saudia Company for dredging, reclamation and marine structures for the King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services in the city of Ras al-Khair.

With investments reaching $6 billion, King Salman International Complex is an ambitious project that will help drive the Kingdom’s economic diversity and growth and localize energy sector industries.

Its location in the strategic Ras al-Khair area enables the complex to meet the construction needs of offshore oil and gas rigs, offshore platforms and support vessels, and a variety of maritime equipment and commercial vessels It will also provide them with maintenance, repair and overhaul services.

The contract is the first of its kind where contractors will conduct dredging and reclamation of about 37 million cubic meters of fill, in addition to ground improvement over an area of 7.4 million square meters.

The contract will also provide for constructing 4,500 linear meters of concrete quay walls and wharves and 12,000 linear meters of rock revetments and breakwaters to protect the integrity of the complex.

Saudi Aramco’s Senior Vice President for Technical Services Ahmed al-Sa’adi stated that it is an important milestone for King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services.

“The Complex is in line with the Kingdom’s economic diversification objectives, it will position the Kingdom as a strategic logistics hub and will create vast job opportunities,” he added.

Initial phase of the contract will be fully executed by 2020 and it is crucial for the whole program as it will prepare the project’s land for subsequent construction of a dry dock and ship building and maintenance facilities.

Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz inaugurated the complex in November 2016 in Ras al-Khair, north of Jubail industrial city in the Eastern Province.

The complex complements the growth of the Saudi energy industry and helps to meet the development and diversification objectives outlined by Saudi Vision 2030.

The facility will offer quality, efficiency and economies of scale, and when completed will offer vessel and rig build, maintenance, repair and overhaul services. The project will comply with all of the Saudi government’s environmental and sustainability requirements.



Türkiye Says Exports to Palestinians Surge after Halting Trade with Israel over Gaza War

A Turkish flag with the Bosphorus Bridge in the background, flies on a passenger ferry in Istanbul, Türkiye September 30, 2020. (Reuters)
A Turkish flag with the Bosphorus Bridge in the background, flies on a passenger ferry in Istanbul, Türkiye September 30, 2020. (Reuters)
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Türkiye Says Exports to Palestinians Surge after Halting Trade with Israel over Gaza War

A Turkish flag with the Bosphorus Bridge in the background, flies on a passenger ferry in Istanbul, Türkiye September 30, 2020. (Reuters)
A Turkish flag with the Bosphorus Bridge in the background, flies on a passenger ferry in Istanbul, Türkiye September 30, 2020. (Reuters)

Türkiye's exports to Palestinian territories leapt sixfold in the first nine months of the year to $571.2 million, data showed on Tuesday, five months after the country halted trade with Israel in protest over its war in Gaza.

The 526% rise in exports occurred largely after the ban went into effect. In the first four months of the year, Turkish exports to Palestinian territories were up 35% to $49.4 million, according to data from the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM).

Turkish opposition lawmaker ​​Mustafa Yeneroglu on Monday submitted questions to parliament about the sharp increase in exports to Palestinian areas and ongoing ship traffic from Türkiye to Israel, despite the trade ban.

Yeneroglu asked Trade Minister Omer Bolat to respond to local media reports that trade with Israel was quietly continuing through Palestinian companies, with shipping documents describing goods as going to Palestinian territories when they were actually going to Israel.

Asked for comment by Reuters, the Trade Ministry pointed to previous statements on the issue. On Sept. 18, it denied trade with Israel was continuing, reiterating that it ended on May 2.

It said Palestinian authorities had declared several times that Turkish goods were used exclusively in Palestinian areas.

These territories encompass the Gaza Strip, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and Arab East Jerusalem.

The trade ministry imposed export restrictions on 54 categories of products to Israel in April before completely halting exports and imports in early May.

At the time, Türkiye said it would not resume trade with Israel, worth $7 billion a year, until a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid were secured in Gaza, becoming the first of Israel's key commercial partners to take such a step.

Israel launched a devastating war against Hamas in Gaza a year ago after the Palestinian Islamist group's deadly cross-border attack.