Bahri, a global leader in transportation and logistics, announced that the Public Transport Authority (PTA), an affiliate of the Ministry of Transport, has completed the registration of ASLAF, a very large crude carrier, owned and operated by Bahri, under the flag of Saudi Arabia. The 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 giant crude carriers, now numbering 39, under the national flag by the end of 2017. Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) of South Korea, the 300,000-dwt ASLAF was anchored docked at Port of Ras Tanura near Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, yesterday, where an official reception was accorded to it by the Ministry of Transport under the supervision of PTA, during which the vessel was formally registered and the national flag raised on top. The registration followed a series of meetings between officials from the Ministry of Transport, PTA and Bahri to clear the way for the vessel's induction into the national maritime fleet. Bahri had taken delivery of ASLAF in July 2017 to continue its aggressive fleet expansion, and is set to add two more great vessels to its fleet before the end of the year to reinforce its position as the world's largest owner and operator of very large crude carriers. Ali Al-Harbi, Acting CEO of 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 continuing 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." For his part, 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 continuing growth of Saudi Arabia's maritime sector, and we are committed to providing every possible support for Bahri so they can reach new heights and keep doing our nation proud." The Saudi Arabian flag is raised on cargo and passenger vessels after they are successfully 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.
