Saudi port handles 500K containers by remote control

DAMMAM: The regional executive director of international port operator Hutchison Ports, Andy Tsoi, was in Saudi Arabia on Saturday to discuss his company’s joint-venture partnership with the Maritime Company for Navigation (MACNA), International Ports Services — the largest concession at the King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam.

“Our company’s strategy is based on the support of its partners in the Saudi Ports Authority (MAWANI) through investing in Saudi Arabia,” Tsoi said, adding that his company wishes to provide MAWANI and the Kingdom with “the latest and the best of what an international partner can achieve.”

Tsoi noted that Hutchison Ports plans to add 10 remote-controlled bridge cranes to the port in the next few years, as an expression of his company’s confidence in KSA.

He added that, to the end of February, IPS had handled 500,000 containers through remote-control technology in the port, and was confident that number would soon reach 1 million.

Ahmed Al-Balawi, CEO of IPS, said: “Our team has proven that it is prepared to face new challenges and keep up with the technological advances in the field of port management and container handling. I am confident we will continue to excel here in Dammam.”