Jeddah Seaport

Jeddah Port (also called Jeddah Islamic Seaport) has an excellent location in the middle of the international shipping route between east and west.

Overview

The port lies on the Red Sea coast at latitude 28° 21' north and longitude 39° 10' east. It is the Saudi's principal port serving the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The port serves the commercial centers through which 59% of the Saudi's imports by sea are being handled. The importance of Jeddah Port increased and reached its maximum limit when the Saudi Arabia was developing into a modern and civilized country.

The Port established in September 1976, whereupon it started developing Jeddah Port and its facilities were expanded from modest 10 operational berths in 1976 to the 58 berths of international status in service today. Jeddah Islamic Port is a congestion free harbor occupies 10.5 square kilometers, with 58 deep water quays having an overall length of 11.2 kilometers with a draft reaching 16 meters. Which can accommodate the latest generation of large container vessels with a capacity of 6500 TEUs.

Timeline

647 A.D.

* The third Muslim caliph Uthman Ibn Affan decides to turn the fishing village of Jeddah into the seaport for nearby Mekkah.

2008

* Jeddah Seaport is the western terminus of the Saudi Landbridge Project, the eastern terminus being Damman.

Nearby wrecks

Along the coastline of the Red Sea runs a parallel stretch of coral reefs. Jeddah is one of the few places where the reefs leave an open gap so large vessels can approach the coastline directly. Nevertheless the reefs have proven fatal to many ships through the ages. Two Italian Destroyers are reported to have run aground near Jedda in 1941. From the sixties it is reported that two ships had each run aground to the north and to the south of the entrance to the port, thus marking the save shipping lane between them. As of 2007 at least three large ships have been reported lying south of Jeddah. At coord|20|52|02.87|N|39|21|39.77|E| lies the "Saudi Golden Arrow", ex Norwegian Ferry "M/S Europafergen" [ [http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/europafergen_1960.htm Ship description and history] ] reported laid up at Shoieba. [http://www.mareud.com/mysteryship1.html Mystery Ship entry] ] Also since about 2000 the "Al Basmalah I" [http://www.mareud.com/mysteryship1.html Mystery Ship entry] ] built as "Glen Sannox" in 1957 and the "Al-Fahad", ex "Free Enterprise III", that anchored after engine problems in 2004 and has since reported to have become semisubmerged. [http://www.mareud.com/mysteryship1.html Mystery Ship entry] ] Some 14.6 kilometers southwest of the old city center at coord|21|22|35.67|N|39|07|13.51|E| only 1.74 kilometers from the coast, a half submerged wreck can be viewed on Google Earth.

See also

* Jeddah
* Mecca
* Red Sea

References

* [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/SA/14/Jiddah.html FallingRain Map - elevation = 7m]