6 major Saudi Arabian ports on the Red Sea

Jeddah Islamic Port

Jeddah Port stands out as the premier port on the Red Sea coast for maritime transit trade and the transshipment of containers and goods. It is the largest among Saudi Arabia's ports in terms of volume and cargo handling, processing over 65% of the goods that pass through Saudi ports.

This port is a significant global hub for container handling in the Red Sea, with 13.5% of international maritime trade flowing through it. Spanning an area of 12.5 square kilometers, Jeddah Port boasts a substantial capacity, handling more than 130 million tons and 7.5 million containers each year.

Equipped with three terminals dedicated to container, general cargo, passenger, livestock, and bulk grain handling, Jeddah Port features 62 berths stretching over 12.3 kilometers in length. These berths accommodate deep water up to 18 meters and are designed to handle the latest generation of container ships, capable of carrying more than 14,000 standard containers.

Annually, the port welcomes around 5,000 vessels. It also includes a logistics area for depositary and re-export services, complete with over 1,752 modern pieces of handling equipment.

The port's storage facilities encompass 3.9 square kilometers of its total area, with approximately 3.5 square kilometers designated for open storage and 0.4 square kilometers for covered storage. This includes 59 warehouses and transit sheds.

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King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu

King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu is renowned as theRed Sea's premier port for loading crude oil, refined products, and petrochemicals. It was specifically constructed for the export of crude petroleum and its refined by-products, as well as for shipping liquid and solid petrochemicals to international markets. Additionally, it serves the import needs of industrial complexes for equipment and machinery.

This port is one of the longest industrial ports globally, extending for 15 kilometers along the Red Sea coastline, and is Saudi Arabia's most significant industrial port.

Covering an area of 6.8 square kilometers, King Fahd Industrial Port is equipped with 34 berths and 10 terminals, boasting an annual capacity of 210 million tons. It can accommodate ships with a loading capacity of up to 500,000 tons.

The port operates a modern fleet and includes a general cargo and container terminal. It also features four warehouses, each offering 9,000 square meters of storage space, along with a dedicated container storage area spanning 275,000 square meters.

In terms of infrastructure, the port is equipped with comprehensive cargo facilities, including containers and berths, a bulk terminal, container warehouses, and general warehouses. To support its operations, the port also maintains a fleet of 15 tugboats and 18 auxiliary boats.

Jazan Port

Jazan Port holds the distinction of being the third-largest port in Saudi Arabia by design capacity along the Red Sea coast. It is particularly notable for being the kingdom's primary port for receiving livestock imports from the Horn of Africa.

Yanbu Commercial Port

Yanbu Commercial Port, one of the venerable Saudi ports on the Red Sea, was inaugurated under the reign of the late King Faisal in 1965. This port serves as a pivotal link between King Fahd Industrial Port to the south and Duba Port to the north. It plays a significant role for the adjacent regions of Medina and Qassim, functioning as a crucial maritime gateway for the arrival and departure of pilgrims.

Equipped with 12 berths, Yanbu Commercial Port boasts an annual handling capacity exceeding 13.5 million tons. Additionally, it features a passenger terminal capable of accommodating approximately 1,500 passengers.

Duba Port

Positioned as the nearest Saudi port to the Suez Canal, it is strategically located for access to the ports of Mediterranean nations, playing a pivotal role in facilitating the maritime transportation of passengers and travelers to and from Saudi Arabia.

Spanning an area of roughly 12,000 square kilometers, the port is equipped with 8 berths that are 1,350 meters in length and 15 meters deep. It houses 3 terminals with a combined handling capacity of 10 million tons and features covered storage spaces spanning 12,000 square meters.

The port is designed to accommodate a variety of vessels, including passenger and roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) ships for the transport of passengers and vehicles, as well as bulk cargo and general cargo ships. Additionally, it is fitted with a marine control tower that oversees the navigation of incoming, outgoing, and transiting vessels.

The importance of choosing the right port will help you succeed in your trade, the more accurate your choice of ports approved in the import process, the more you will be able to control the details of this process in terms of cost, time and speed in the arrival of goods and customs procedures.

That is, choosing a port close to the location of your warehouse and a port that facilitates the reception and clearance of goods will make it easier for you to obtain the appropriate profits from the import process and achieve your goals from the trade you carry out.

Ports that are unable to integrate and adapt technology into their operations will not be able to continue to compete with other ports, because new technologies make ports and ships more productive and autonomous, and contribute to energy savings.

The port spans an area of 4.2 square kilometers and contains 12 commercial berths with a total length of 2,172 meters to handle all types of goods, with depths ranging from 10-12 meters at the lowest sea level.

Jazan Port is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment for the handling of cargo and marine equipment, including a control tower and an 80-nautical-mile navigation channel. The port's fleet consists of 8 marine vessels, which comprise tugs, service boats, and a specialized vessel for oil separation and collection.

For storage purposes, Jazan Port features 6 general cargo warehouses spanning 25,200 square meters, a dedicated hazardous materials warehouse covering approximately 1,500 square meters, and a live livestock shed with an area of 1,860 square meters.

Additionally, the port provides 8 open storage yards with a collective area of 202,807 square meters, as well as a container storage yard that encompasses a total area of 122,000 square meters.

King Abdullah Port

King Abdullah Port, situated in Rabigh within the expansive King Abdullah Economic City, was officially launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in February 2019. This commercial port was conceived with a forward-thinking vision to welcome state-of-the-art, large-scale vessels and to cater to the burgeoning export demands of Saudi Arabia to international markets.

Marking a significant milestone, it is the first port in the kingdom to be managed and developed by the private sector. Its location is of strategic importance, facilitating trade between Asia and Europe, as well as enhancing commerce within the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf region.

In line with its recent developments, King Abdullah Port continues to expand its capabilities, solidifying its role as a key hub for global trade and a gateway for Saudi exports, reflecting the dynamic growth and diversification of the Saudi economy.

The port is located in close proximity to industrial projects in Jeddah, Yanbu, Rabigh and densely populated areas such as Makkah and Madinah.

King Abdullah Port has several partnerships with the world’s largest shipping lines such as Maersk, MSC and CMA CGM.

King Abdullah Port joined the list of the 100 largest container ports in the world, achieving the second most efficient container port in the world in 2021.

The port receives more than 13% of global trade, and is the first Saudi port to implement the 24-hour cargo clearance plan, as the port aims to reduce the duration of containers to only three days.

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King Abdulaziz Port

King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam stands as the primary port of Saudi Arabia on the Arabian Gulf, serving as the principal gateway for the import of goods to the eastern and central parts of the Kingdom.

Spanning an impressive 19 square kilometers, this port encompasses 3 terminals and boasts 43 fully equipped berths. Its infrastructure is designed to accommodate colossal ships with a handling capacity of up to 105 million tons, underscoring its significance as one of the most vital ports in Saudi Arabia.

The port handles different types of cargo including container cargo, general cargo, raw materials, bulk grains, edible oils, cement and clinker, refrigerants, and ro-ro cargo.

The port includes modern handling equipment for handling various types of cargo, as well as a number of support stations for containers and general cargo, a refrigerated cargo terminal, two cement terminals, a bulk grain terminal and an iron ore handling terminal.

King Abdulaziz Port has a ship repair facility, which includes two floating docks, which can accommodate ships up to 215 meters in length.

Jubail Commercial Port

The auxiliary port that supports King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam is integral to facilitating commercial activities and commands a view of the Arabian Gulf. This gateway is crucial for the export and import of Saudi goods to and from international markets. The supporting port covers an extensive area of 4.2 square kilometers, further enhancing its capacity to handle the Kingdom's trade needs.

The port contains 16 berths to receive general and bulk cargo ships and containers, and 4 terminals with a capacity of 36 million tons, as well as open and covered yards and storage warehouses to accommodate incoming and outgoing goods and equipment.

The port has a fleet of naval vessels, such as tugboats, pilot boats and mooring boats, to conduct maneuvers to dock and depart ships at any time in various weather conditions without delay.

King Fahd Industrial Port in Jubail

It holds the distinction of being the largest industrial port in the Middle East and is among the most significant ports in Saudi Arabia. This port is specifically designed to import the raw materials necessary for local industrial operations and to export a range of industrial products, including petrochemicals, refined petroleum products, chemical fertilizers, and sulfur.

The port is the main outlet for petrochemical products produced in Jubail Industrial City, and extends over an area of 6.8 square kilometers, and contains 34 berths, and 5 terminals, with a capacity of 70 million tons.

Ras Tanura Port

Ras Tanura is a critical oil port and the world's largest for oil shipping, handling over 90% of Saudi Arabia's crude oil and refined product exports. The port's export capacity is 6.5 million barrels per day, which is 7% of global oil demand. It boasts an oil tank yard with a 33 million barrel capacity and four artificial islands capable of loading six 500,000-ton tankers simultaneously.

The port features a refinery with a 500,000 barrel per day capacity and two main berths in the Arabian Gulf, along with an artificial island. The North Pier is 670 meters long and 33 meters wide, with 6 berths and a water depth of 12.8-15.2 meters at low tide. The South Pier, 366 meters long and 32 meters wide, has 4 berths for ships up to 30,000 tons, with a depth of 9.90-10.06 meters at low tide. The artificial island, located 1,708 meters from the North Pier and 3,200 meters from shore, has 8 berths for oil tankers and ships.

Ras Al Khair Port

Ras Al-Khair Port is one of the main pillars in the Saudi economy, as it serves vital programs and projects in the Ras Al-Khair Industrial Area, and is the latest Saudi industrial port, the port is linked via a railway line to mining mines, through which products are exported to global markets

The port includes fourteen berths, serves more than a hundred projects in Ras Al Khair Industrial City, with a capacity of 35 million tons, and is equipped with the latest tools and equipment necessary for the transport and handling of goods of all kinds.