King Abdullah Port (KAP) was at this year’s TOC ME event, described as the region and world's top gathering for the shipping, ports and terminal industry.

KAP, the region’s newest port, was the major sponsor of the conference and its MD Abdullah Hameedadin was part of the opening panel that discussed the current status of Saudi ports and the future impact that they will exert on the regional shipping industry.

TOC ME 2015 took place at the Meridien Hotel in Dubai on Dec. 8 and 9.

“This was a very important conference and one that we are proud to be part of it. This is the place to meet up with regional officials and strategic partners and also global ones as well,” commented Hameedadin. “It is a fantastic forum to share information about the state-of-the-art features and economic advantages offered by KAP. Our success is demonstrated by the steadily increasing activity at the port. That we have handled 1.3 million TEUs in only our second year of operation is a true mark of our early success.”

Hameedadin joined other regional shipping executives on a panel called "The Middle East shipping and ports sector: Outlook, market analysis and market trends" that dealt with the question of how best to manage this vital and rapidly growing economic sector, taking current economic challenges into consideration.

Hameedadin stressed that KAP constitutes a new main gateway to Saudi Arabia, a new shipping center for the world and a catalyst for domestic economic growth.

KAP is a fully privately developed, financed and operated project, the fruits of a new government outlook that stresses the importance of diversifying the Saudi economy and encourages private participation in the Kingdom’s mega projects. The port’s is located on the outskirts of King Abdullah Economic City on the Red Sea coast.