The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) received its first newly built roll-on/roll-off container (RoCon) vessel from Hyundai MIPO on Feb. 5, 2013 in South Korea. This is the first of six sophisticated vessels that Bahri contracted Hyundai MIPO to build it in order to replace the existing vessels and expand in general cargo segment. Bahri is an internationally renowned shipping conglomerate specialized in the transportation of oil & gas, chemicals, general cargo and dry bulk. It also services the rapidly growing petroleum, chemical and infrastructure sectors of the Kingdom. These new vessels are built at Hyundai's MIPO Dockyard in Korea for a price of $70 million for each vessel which have been designed for ultimate efficiency and performance. Bahri CEO Engr. Saleh Al-Jasser said: “This is an important milestone in Bahri's history and is directly in line with our comprehensive expansion strategy in the shipping sector. The arrival of these new world-class vessels confirms Bahri's commitment to operational excellence and its capability to provide its service with high efficiency and strengthen its position as a leading service provider in the logistics & shipping industry.” The new RoCon vessels are specialized in carrying general and project cargo and several other types of RoRo cargo. These vessels are equipped with loading bridge with a capacity of 250 tons and heavy lift cranes with a capacity of 240 tons enabling them to load different type of goods. With deadweight of 26,000 tons each, these vessels are unique in their smaller size compared to the current fleet and have more cargo lifting capabilities with lower fuel consumption. It is estimated that these lighter weight new vessels will consume 45 percent less fuel thereby decreasing the fuel cost. Bahri's remaining five vessels are under construction and it expects to start receiving one vessel every three months until March 2014. — SG
