Bahri boosts dry-bulk fleet with addition of newbuild Alanood

September 07 2020 Print This Article

Bahri, a global leader in logistics and transportation, announced that it took delivery of its new dry-bulk carrier ‘Alanood’ on 31 August, making it the second newbuild vessel to join the company’s market-leading fleet this year. The Kamsarmax-class carrier lifts the number of Bahri’s dry-bulk fleet to seven, cementing its reputation as a leading regional player in the bulk shipping industry.

‘Alanood’ is also the second ship received as part of the agreement signed between Bahri business unit Bahri Dry Bulk and South Korea’s Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. Ltd. (HMD) in August 2017 to build and deliver four new dry-bulk carriers by 2020. The new vessel was built by Hyundai Vietnam Shipbuilding (HVS), a subsidiary of HMD, and takes the total tally of Bahri’s wide-ranging vessels to 88, including 41 VLCCs, 34 chemical and product tankers, 7 dry-bulk carriers, and 6 ro-ro ships. A further 10 chemical tankers, 2 dry-bulk carriers, and a VLCC are currently under development. 

Commenting on the announcement, Eng. Abdullah Aldubaikhi, CEO of Bahri, said: “Strengthening our fleet with investments in modern and efficient vessels represents a key pillar of our long-term strategy. We are confident that ‘Alanood’ will give us enhanced operational flexibility and efficiency to meet the needs of our customers around the world and enable us to boost our contribution to the smooth functioning of global supply chains whose importance was underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic. This significant addition also signifies our ongoing commitment to building up Saudi Arabia’s maritime capabilities as envisaged in the Vision 2030 agenda.” 

In May 2020, Bahri took delivery of the dry-bulk carrier ‘Sara,’ which was also built at the HVS dockyard in Vietnam under the latest international technical specifications. Both new vessels are environmentally friendly and have been developed to offer the highest standards of environment, safety, and fuel efficiency, with a design draft speed of 14.20 knots at normal continuous rating (NCR) with a 15% sea margin. 

With the new additions, Bahri is further equipped to meet the growing demand in the Kingdom for imports of basic grains, such as wheat, barley, corn, and other dry-bulk cargoes.