This move reinforces Saudi Arabia’s position in the global maritime industry and gives a further boost to Bahri’s efforts to register all of its VLCCs – now numbering 39 – under the national flag by the end of 2017, the company said.
Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), the 300,000 dwt VLCC arrived at Ras Tanura, near Dammam, this week, where an official reception was hosted by the Ministry of Transport under the supervision of PTA, during which the vessel was formally registered and the national flag was raised. The registration followed a series of meetings between officials from the Ministry of Transport, PTA and Bahri.
Bahri took delivery of ‘Aslaf’ in July, 2017 as part of its fleet expansion. The company is due to add two more VLCCs to its fleet before the end of this year.
Ali Al-Harbi, acting CEO, Bahri, said,“Contributing to the economic growth of Saudi Arabia and enhancing the Kingdom’s reputation and standing in the global transportation and logistics industry are at the heart of Bahri’s mission, and we are proud to be making continued progress toward these goals.
“Our aim is to get all of our large and mid-size carriers registered under the national flag, which will help sharpen Bahri’s competitive edge in the market while contributing to an increase in bilateral maritime trade volume between Saudi Arabia and other global economies,” he said.
Hussein bin Khamis Al-Ansari, Director of the Port of Ras Tanura, said,“We have been watching Bahri’s evolution into a global transportation and logistics giant with great interest and pride. Bahri and Saudi Ports Authority share a common vision for the continued growth of Saudi Arabia’s maritime sector and we are committed to providing every possible support to Bahri so they can reach new heights and keep doing our nation proud.”
The Saudi Arabian flag is raised on vessels once they are registered with the Ministry of Transport and PTA. They are then inspected and checked regularly in accordance with the standards laid down by international classification authorities accredited by the Kingdom.