Work on 1.5 million-TEU Red Sea terminal to start in January
The Saudi Trade and Export Development Co. (Tusdeer) said construction will start in January of its $443 million Red Sea Gateway Terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port (JIP) that will increase the port's container handling capacity by more than 45 percent when operations start in the fourth quarter of 2009.
The terminal will have two berths — a 735-meter main berth and a separate 310-meter feeder berth — which have been designed with a combined annual handling capacity of 1.5 million TEUs.
Tusdeer said the facility is the first private grassroots build-operate-transfer container terminal project in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi firm has signed a civil works contract with China Harbour Engineering Co. Ltd., which includes construction of the quay wall, land reclamation and the dredging of a new 16.5 meter approach channel as well as other related infrastructure work. Completion of that contract is expected within 22 months.
Tusdeer has also signed a contract with Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Ltd. (ZPMC) for the terminal’s container handling equipment including eight twin-lift ship-to-shore cranes and 26 rubber-tired gantries with double lift capability. The equipment will be delivered in three phases, the first due to arrive in May 2009.
The design and engineering for the Red Sea Gateway Terminal has been undertaken by United Kingdom-based Halcrow International.