Port of Neom: Aiming to set a global benchmark

 Saudi Arabia’s port of Neom, situated on the Red Sea, has rapidly expanded its general and project cargo handling capacities. Joshua Allen reports. 

Aiming to keep pace with high volumes of imports to support Neom-related projects – such as the new industrial city Oxagon – expansion at the port has included the development of 900 m of quay walls, new berths and significant investment in specialised handling equipment, such as 10 Liebherr mobile harbour cranes (MHCs) that can lift up to 150 tonnes apiece. 

“These cranes have supported the handling of increasingly complex project cargo,” said Melissa Blake, director of operations – port of Neom. Recent examples of oversized cargo moving through the port include renewable energy modules measuring up to 100 m long, 15 m wide and 30 m high, with some single units exceeding 1,000 tonnes. 

Wind energy components arriving at the port are closely tied to the Neom Green Hydrogen Company and its new plant, which is situated in Oxagon’s industrial quarter. The plant will be powered entirely by renewable energy, in the form of a solar park and wind farm that will feature more than 250 wind turbines.