DAMMAM, 19 February 2004 — A passenger shipping line will soon start operating between Dammam and Dubai, and the King Abdul Aziz Port Authority has approved plans for the construction of a passenger berth at the port.
The transport minister and chairman of the board of directors of the port, Dr. Jabara Al-Seraisry, said a committee headed by KAA Port Director Naeem ibn Ibrahim Al-Naeem has been set up to supervise the construction.
The port at present only handles commercial liners and tankers. There has been demand for passenger service from Dammam for quite some time.
Before the opening of the King Fahd Causeway, there were boat services between Alkhobar and Manama, but they stopped when the causeway made that service redundant.
According to the plans, the proposed berth will initially serve passenger liners between Dammam and Dubai and later extend to other GCC countries.
The minister said the new terminal and the introduction of passenger services would benefit the national economy. “The tourism sector will get a big boost,” he said. The banking sector as well as land transport would also benefit, he added.
According to the plans, the new berth will have facilities including rent-a-car service, banks, restaurant, a tourist desk and hotels counters.
The opening of the passenger berth at the port will make Dammam the only city in the Kingdom to have all the four major modes of transportation — air, bus, rail and shipping.
