RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s national shipping carrier Bahri has ordered six Ultramax bulk carriers from International Maritime Industries, marking the Kingdom’s first large-scale commercial vessel project.
The ships will be built at IMI’s Ras Al-Khair yard, the largest maritime facility in the Middle East, and are designed for efficiency and access to ports with limited infrastructure, according to a press release.
The move to build its first Saudi-made vessels comes as part of Bahri’s ongoing fleet modernization program.
The initiative recently saw a significant boost in August, when the company signed a $1 billion deal to purchase nine very large crude carriers from Greece-based Capital Maritime and Trading Corp.
Ahmed Ali Al-Subaey, CEO of Bahri, said: “This agreement marks a strategic milestone for Bahri and a defining moment for the maritime industry in the Kingdom.”
