A ceremony was held Thursday in celebration of the maiden voyage of the world’s greenest ultra-large container vessel, the 18,800 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit ) M.V. Al Nefud.
United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) and Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) celebrated the maiden voyage of the world’s greenest ultra-large container vessel at Jeddah Islamic Port last week.
Saudi Ports Authority President and UASC Chairman
Nabeel Al-Amudi, UASC Chief Operating Officer
Waleed Al Dawood and Saudi Industrial Services Company (SISCO) CEO Mohammed Al-Mudarres were among the government officials and business leaders on hand for the event.
“The arrival of M.V. Al Nefud at Jeddah Islamic Port is yet another significant milestone in the port's track record of achievements and an indicator of the increasing importance of the port and KSA in the shipping industry,” Al-Amudi said.
Al-Amudi said the ports have developed the country’s economy and continue to strengthen business in various sectors.
“Jeddah Islamic Port is equally capable of receiving and handling vessels of this size and class,” Al-Amudi said. “Ports are considered to be the backbone of a country's economy and the Saudi Ports Authority always seeks to support the ongoing development in the kingdom through providing services of the highest standards.”
SISCO Chairman Mohammad Zenel Alireza said the arrival of the M.V. Al Nefud at Jeddah Islamic Port was an impressive feat for the port.
“Today we are very proud to celebrate the arrival of the 18,800 TEU ultra-large container vessel, with a length of 400 meters and a draft of 16 meters,” Alireza said. “The arrival of this caliber of vessel is undoubtedly a big leap in the handling and logistics services at the port; at the same time, it is a clear assurance of the port's high operational capabilities.”
Al Dawood applauded the collaboration among UASC, Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Ports Authority.
“UASC is very proud of its strong ties with KSA and the Saudi Ports Authority as we continue to provide our Saudi customers with efficient and effective shipping solutions using different ports in the kingdom,” Al Dawood said. “KSA has been one of UASC's key shareholding nations and the kingdom provided significant support since its establishment in 1976. UASC vessels made 300 calls to Saudi Ports in 2015 and handled 1.23 million TEU on board its own vessels to and from different Saudi ports in the same year.”
“Celebrating M.V. Al Nefud's arrival at RSGT in Jeddah Islamic Port is an example of the strong ties between the different entities in KSA and UASC,” Al Dawood said. “This event is unique because it coincides with UASC's 40th anniversary and Al Nefud is one of the largest in our fleet, as well as one of the world's greenest vessels due to its outstanding environmental credentials. This leading class of ships has contributed greatly to lowering the CO2 emissions of UASC's owned fleet. As pioneers in providing sustainable shipping solutions, UASC will soon reveal a very ambitious environmental target.”
RSGT Managing Director Soren Hansen praised the crew and workers handling the massive vessel.
“We are very proud of the efficiency levels involved in handling such large vessels, producing high levels of productivity in terms of efficiency and speed at the terminal,” Hansen said. “Having both talented teams and excellent output onboard is part of our customer service philosophy. The terminal is very capable of handling such vessels, serving 450 ultra-large vessels since beginning operations.”
UASC has received six 18,800 TEU class vessels to date.
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