THE Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) office at King Abdullah Port won the Innovative Sector Award at the Annual Innovation Symposium grand ceremony, held by SASO for the third year running under the patronage of Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi, the Minister of Commerce and Investment and Chairman of SASO, in which a number of innovative and top-performing SASO employees and retirees were honored. Having received the award, Bandar B. Aljad'ani, Head of the SASO Office at King Abdullah Port, thanked Dr. Sa'd U. Al Qasabi, the Governor of SASO, and Mutlaq R. Attayyari, Director of the SASO branch in Makkah, for their support, which imparts the recognition this office deserves for its contributions to the national economy and the protection of consumers and the market. Eng. Abdullah Hameedadin, Managing Director of the Ports Development Company, owner and developer of King Abdullah Port, extolled the achievements of SASO's office in the port. "The relationship between King Abdullah Port and SASO goes back to 2014, the year the port commenced operations," he said. "SASO was keen to provide its services to their users as easily as possible, and through our relationship, we felt just how strongly they believe in the role King Abdullah Port can play in achieving the objectives of Vision 2030, given its plans for strategic expansion to boost not only its capacity, but also its status in the national and international maritime arenas. King Abdullah Port is well on its way to become a hub for East-West shipping lines that connect Europe and Asia." King Abdullah Port had announced that its annual capacity had risen to 1.4 million TEU by the end of 2016, up 8% from that of 2015. The increase came despite challenging times in the market as global economies slowed down. As infrastructure work for berths 5 and 6 is now complete, capacity is set to jump and exceed four million TEU, as soon as equipment and operations come online later this year, giving King Abdullah Port a stronger competitive edge and more access to the world's and the region's most important centers of business. Run by the Ports Development Company, King Abdullah Port is the Kingdom's first port to be fully owned, developed and operated by the private sector. With its strategic location and state-of-the-art technologies, all managed by national and global experts who strive to offer the best possible services, King Abdullah Port has earned its place at the heart of the world's major shipping lines, all within a solid plan that will bring to reality its vision of becoming one of the largest ports in the world.
