Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Port announced the launch of fuel supply and bunkering services after it formed a partnership with major fuel suppliers Western Fuel Supply for Petroleum Products Company Limited and Minerva Bunkering.
Since its establishment in 2010, the King Abdullah Port, located on the Red Sea Coast, boasted its importance to the Kingdom with a market of over 400 million consumers across the Middle East and Africa.
The partnership is intended to position King Abdullah Port as a key logistics hub at the crossroads of three continents, enabling it to align with the goals of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS).
According to the Ministry of Transport and Logistics Services, the NTLS aims to develop the transport system to make the Kingdom a logistics centre linking the three continents and promote sustainable economic development and competitiveness as part of the Saudi Vision 2030.
King Abdullah Port CEO Jay New expressed his strong optimism for this strategic alliance, saying: “The provision of bunker supplies at King Abdullah Port is not just an added service; it’s a significant stride in our continuous effort to enhance customers’ value.
"This move aligns seamlessly with our unwavering commitment to expand maritime services spectrum and reinforces our dedication to serving our customers better each day.”
Minerva Bunkering has extended its Saudi Arabia Red Sea operations to accommodate vessels calling at King Abdullah Port, having recently completed the port's inaugural bunker delivery.
Minerva CEO Tyler Baron highlighted the strategic placement of the port and how this can foster a competitive advantage: “With King Abdullah Port located in between Yanbu and Jeddah, we are able to leverage our integrated Red Sea supply system to provide customers with a highly competitive total cost of bunkers, both for deliveries to vessels concurrent with cargo operations and while at anchor.”
Minerva stated they are proud to assist the growth of Saudi Arabia's maritime sector in accordance with Vision 2030 by ensuring vessels calling through Red Sea ports have access to bunkering services that lead the industry in efficiency, transparency and fuel quality.
