For the second consecutive year, King Abdullah Port extends its support to Breakbulk Middle East 2019. For the first time, the upcoming fourth annual edition will be held under the patronage of Dr. Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, the UAE Minister of Infrastructure Development and the Chairman of Federal Transport Authority for Land and Maritime, a remarkable feat which aligns with the event's aim to further solidify its stance as the leading GCC event for the project cargo and breakbulk industry. The two-day conference and exhibition taking place on Feb. 11-12 at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, will tackle topics to aid project cargo specialists in seizing regional opportunities and constructing effective project plans. Furthermore, BBME 2019 will play a crucial role in enhancing maritime and all related industry sectors as global leaders and top-level experts will gather to discuss existing issues and potential solutions. Rayan Qutub, CEO of King Abdullah Port, highlighted the strategic importance of the conference and exhibition, and added: "The maritime and shipping industries account for 90% of the entire global trade market, which makes Breakbulk Middle East crucial to our region's continued development." "The port has proved particularly successful in attracting a larger portion of the breakbulk sector of the industry, which provides us with further opportunity to grow and solidifies our global maritime competitiveness. We are estimating a further 15% increase in future volume, particularly involving steel, timber and cement cargo, and our partnership with specialist port operators and steel handlers AMSteel has already seen us increase our one-day cargo record to an impressive 27,000 t." Qutub added: "The efficiency of King Abdullah Port has also helped create an extremely vibrant hub which has stimulated export rates in Saudi Arabia. This is already making a positive impact on our national economy and will continue to do so for many decades ahead." Qutub noted: "We take great pride in our current global standing, which compliments the Kingdom's many achievements and recognizes the port's outstanding location. This makes the port capable of attracting an even larger portion of the global maritime transportation industry as we develop further. Our continuing success in increasing the annual volume of sea freight aligns perfectly with the ambitious objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and highlights the port's worth in acting as a catalyst for the country's economic diversification." From Breakbulk Middle East, Ben Blamire, Commercial Director, said "Breakbulk Middle East is known for being the go-to event for breakbulk and project cargo. Our aim is to continue that trend while diversifying to help boost the regional economy. The strategic location of the UAE and GCC ports being at the heart of the Arabian Gulf has enabled these markets to acquire a largest share of total container and cargo movement in the region, and our intent is to help increase their shares even further. Having the support of a regional key player such as King Abdullah Port is an honor which enables industry growth by attracting more attention to Breakbulk Middle East and by extension more investment into the region." Given that the outlook for the coming five years in terms of gross domestic product development and the growth of imports and exports is considerably better than it was during the 2012-2016 period, it's the time to capitalize on this positive projection. The UAE seems to be aware of this matter as they have been a key player in driving offshore investment in the Middle East region, securing an approximate $66 billion in regional maritime sector investments. Leslie Meredith, Marketing Director, Breabulk Events & Media, said "the breakbulk industry is undoubtedly benefitting from the global recovery and enjoying an uptick in volumes. In the meantime, we encourage the rest of the maritime sector to strike while the iron is hot and register for Breakbulk Middle East as it acts as an essential platform to facilitate necessary discussions and connect key decision makers. With King Abdullah Port being among the unique participants who have offered rave reviews regarding our event, we are confident in the quality we are providing to the industry and the entire value chain." King Abdullah Port has seen tremendous success in recent years as the growing KSA port has achieved a number of accomplishments. Acting as a role model for national projects and a driver of Saudi Vision 2030, their annual capacity is on pace to soon reach the four million TEU milestone and their throughput during the first half of 2018 saw a record increase. Moreover, their 2018 annual growth rate of 36% has successfully cemented themselves as the second largest port in the Kingdom and their participation in Breakbulk Middle East is surely a step in the right direction to elevate their already impressive portfolio even further. BBME's conference and expo is expected to attract participants from more than 52 countries from all sectors of the project cargo and breakbulk industry, reflecting the high international interest in project development within the GCC. — SG
