The agreement with the Royal Commission in Jubail and Yanbu, represented by the Jubail and Yanbu Industrial Services Company, will see Hutchison Ports invest in and operate JCPDI Port. The port consists of multipurpose terminals within the Jazan City for Primary and Downstream Industries (JCPDI).
His Excellency Eng. Abdullah bin Ibrahim AlSaadan, Chairman of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu said the “JCPDI Port was established to provide modern logistics services in the region to enhance the Kingdom’s presence in this field and support the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which aspires the Kingdom to become a global logistics platform”.
Eric Ip, group managing director, commented: “We have a presence of 20 years in Saudi Arabia, and it is a very important market for Hutchison Ports. Marking a new chapter for us, JCPDI Port is located at the crossroads of the one of the busiest east-west trade lanes and the rapidly growing north-south trade lanes. We look forward to working closely with the Royal Commission to help JCPDI reach its full potential and contribute to the Saudi Vision 2030.”
Two-phase development
The multipurpose JCPDI Port will be developed over two phases and will consist of a container terminal and a general cargo and dry-bulk terminal. Each will be equipped with the latest in handling equipment and have quayside draft of 16.5 meters. Commercial operations of Phase I will launch this year starting with the general cargo and dry-bulk terminal. With a berth length of 540 meters, this facility will serve the immediate needs of the growing list of JCPDI tenants. Subsequently, Phase I of the container terminal is expected to start commercial operations in early 2022 and offer 730 meters of berth.
JCPDI Port is located on China’s Belt and Road Initiative and is the Kingdom’s closest port to East Asia. It is considered a major gateway to the Kingdom’s southern region, which has an estimated population of 4.5 million people. The terminals are expected to support economic growth in the entire region and to serve eastern and southern Africa.
