SAUDI ARABIA – The proposed development of 100 plus square kilometres to the north of Jazan City, along a Red Sea waterfront stretching 12 kilometres has reportedly commenced despite the current economic downturn. Loans from the Saudi Industrial Development Fund running to over $150 million have been made available to companies like South Steel and China has reportedly supplied $5 billion so far with a promise of more to come. The development will include a new deep sea port designed to handle all types of cargo from containers and break bulk to dry and liquid bulk.
To enable the port development to proceed the developers, a cooperation between joint developers MMC Saudi Arabia Company and the Saudi Binladin Group, had to undertake a full survey and propose a new deep sea navigational route to enable access from the new port to the Red Sea. The details of the proposals had then to be passed by the Saudi Ministry of Transport and then approved by the International Maritime Organization.
The deep water channel has to been able to handle vessels up to 350,000 dead weight tonnes to facilitate the passage of super tankers en route to the Jazan refinery. The entire project including infrastructure development, oil refinery and aluminium smelting plant construction, a power station and real estate development plus the two multi modal and two liquid bilk berths is scheduled to take up to twenty years to complete.
Pic :- Artists Impression Jazan Economic City Residential Sector
