The Jeddah Islamic Port is the busiest of all the Kingdom's ports. It is the principal commercial port and the main port of entry for pilgrims on their way to the Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah. In 1975 (1395 AH), Jeddah imported 2,811,000 tons, which represented almost half of all imports to the Kingdom in that year. In 1984 (1404/05 AH), the volume of imports reached a peak of 20,762,000 tons. In 1987 (1407/08 AH), Jeddah was visited by a total of 5,341 ships and imported 14,935,000 tons. This represented 21% of all imports by weight to the Kingdom in that year. In 1994, Jeddah was visited by 4,805 vessels and imported 15,276,411 tons.

As well as providing the main point of entry for industrial and consumer goods, the Jeddah Islamic Port is the Kingdom's main port for the importation of livestock.

Jeddah Seaport (Jeddah Islamic Port) Jeddah 21188
Tel: 643 2552

Function: Port development, port stevedoring, regulations and documents.  

The King Abdul Aziz Port at Dammam ranks second to Jeddah as a commercial port. Like Jeddah it boasts a fully equipped repair yard. In 1975 (1395 AH), Dammam imported 2,486,000 tons (approximately 40% of the total entering the Kingdom that year). Imports through Dammam reached a peak of 14,515,000 tons in 1982 (1402/03 AH). In 1987 (1407/08 AH), Dammam was visited by a total of 3,288 ships and imported 7,322,000 tons (10.5% of total imports in that year). In 1994 (1414/15 AH), Dammam was visited by 2,022 vessels and imported 6,603,817 tons.

Dammam Seaport (King Abdul Aziz Seaport) PO Box 28062
Dammam 31188
Tel: 833 2500
Fax: 857 9223

Function: Port development, port stevedoring, regulations and documents.  

With the massive increase in traffic that has ensued from the Kingdom's industrial and agricultural development, it has been necessary to upgrade many of the inter-city roads to expressways, with anything up to eight lanes for traffic. Some of the more important inter-city highways are;

• Dammam - Abu Hadriya - Ras Tanura Highway (257 kms

• Khaybar - Al Ola Highway (175 kms)

• Makkah - Madinah Al Munawarah Highway (421 kms)

• Riyadh - Dammam Highway (383 kms)

• Riyadh - Sedir - al Qasim Highway (317 kms)

• Riyadh - Taif Highway (750 kms)

• Taif - Abha-Gizan Highway (750 kms)

The cities too have become congested by the growth in traffic and a number of cities now enjoy the benefits of modern ring-roads which serve to speed vehicles on their way and reduce congestion and pollution in city centers.

A further development is the construction of networks of over- and under-passes within the cities which again serve to facilitate driving in city centers.

While a major effort has been devoted to inter-city and in-city road-building, agricultural communities have not been neglected. Even isolated villages are now connected by road to the main road network, so that the Kingdom can now boast a fully integrated, modern, nation-wide network of roads.

The climate and the terrain of the Kingdom are inimical to road-building. Burning hot deserts and high mountain ranges, each pose different but equally challenging problems for contractors. Nowhere were these problems more intimidating than in the south west of the Kingdom, where mountain ranges soar to 3,000 meters. A series of projects, involving the construction of magnificent viaducts, has been undertaken so that even the more inaccessible parts of the Kingdom in this region may now be reached by road.  

Commercial Port at Jizan

The commercial port at Jizan, which is the main port in the south of the country, imported 100,000 tons in 1975 (1395 AH). The import figure reached a peak in 1983 - 1403/04 AH (1,724,000 tons), reducing to 722,000 tons in 1987 (1407/08 AH). In 1987 (1407/08 AH), Jizan port was visited by 122 ships. In 1994 (1414/15 AH), Jizan was visited by 678 vessels and imported 310,005 tons

The Jubail Commercial Port imported 849,000 tons in 1978 (1398/99 AH), reaching a peak of 2,199,000 tons in 1985 (1405/06 AH). In 1987 (1407/08 AH), the commercial port at Jubail imported 1,612,000 tons. In 1994 (1414/15 AH), Jubail was visited by 1,215 vessels and imported 1,127,112 tons.

 

Commercial Port at Yanbu

The commercial port at Yanbu imported 687,000 tons in 1975 (1395 AH). Imports peaked at 2,874,000 in 1984 (1404/05 AH). Then, after a sharp fall in 1985 (1405/06 AH), imports began to rise again in 1986 (1406/07 AH). The import figure for 1987 (1407/08 AH), was 2,505,000 tons. In 1994, Yanbu was visited by 1,082 vessels and imported 1,123,659 tons.