The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia, better known by its local acronym Bahri, has finally received its latest carrier classified as a very large crude-oil carrier (VLCC), Trade Arabia reported. Named “Kassab,” it serves as a welcome addition to Bahri’s roster of VLCCs, now totaling to 42. The handover ceremony was held at HSHI’s Mokpo Shipyard in the province of Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla), South Korea.
“Kassab” is noted to have a capacity of 300,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT), Bahri’s first VLCC acquisition for the year 2018 with 4 more VLCCs to follow this year. It was built by South Korean shipbuilding company Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI). The ship will enhance the already 42-strong maritime fleet to service its constantly growing market share in the crude oil transportation industry.
Apart from having 42 VLCCs in its fleet, Bahri also operates 6 multipurpose vessels, each having a capacity of 26,000 DWT. Four of these vessels connect the U.S. to ports in Saudi Arabia and other major ports in the Gulf. Two travel routs to Europe.
Bahri’s CEO, Eng Abdullah Aldubaikhi, took pride in its latest acquisition. “The addition of ‘Kassab’ to our already strong fleet is a significant boost to our unmatched maritime capabilities. The new vessel is a testament to the rigor and robustness of our continued expansion, which is a critical component of our well-thought out business model and long-term growth strategy.”
Total capacity of VLCCs under Bahri’s logistics arm is 11.6 million tons.
Aldubaikhi added, “After delivering a solid performance in 2017, we are gearing up for another year of outstanding growth with our enhanced offering, leveraging our renewed approach to revolutionize the global maritime sector.”
Bahri is already recognized as a global leader in commercial vehicles catering to crude oil transportation. “With the latest addition, we have once again asserted our position as the first and only transportation and logistics company in the world to have a 42-strong VLCC fleet,” Aldubaikhi was quoted saying by Trade Arabia.
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