Director-General of King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam, Naeem Al-Naeem, assured officials that the port can withstand tremors. This came in answer to queries about the Saudi port in the Eastern Region in the wake of recent earthquakes that hit Iran.
Al-Naeem said all the port’s platforms, which are executed to international standards, are reinforced by concrete blocks to withstand atrocious weather conditions and natural disasters. “The Dammam port has not been affected by the tremors occurring in the aftermaths of earthquakes, and this has been the case with the Marine Tower, which is located 95 meters above sea level,” he added, saying the world-class facility port “is well prepared for such occurrences."
He said that the port, which is the second largest in the Kingdom, the only port linked by a rail system and the biggest in the gulf shoreline, already has SAR 5 billion worth of projects, some of them to be completed by this month and the rest by 2015.
It is indeed a busy port. Al-Naeem pointed out there are between 20 and 27 ships docking daily, adding that the port has the capacity to dock 39 ships. He said these ships arrive from all over the world, including America, Europe and the Gulf countries, as well as countries like Iran.
He said 90 percent of Saudi commercial trade, including oil exports, go through the port, and that the Dammam port is well-equipped to receive large quantities of cement as sanctioned by the recent royal orders made by Custodian of the Two Mosques King Abdullah.
Al-Naeem said that the port employs 1500 people, 99 percent of whom are Saudis occupying different positions and that it monitors the marine movements of 300 ships simultaneously through modern and well-equipped navigational systems.
Dammam port can withstand tremors, says director general
