Cement shipments make their way to Saudi Arabia

Cement shipments are making their way to Saudi Arabia in line with the recent decree to import 10 million t of cement to cover local demand. Thus far, around 350 000 t of cement has been imported from UAE and Egypt into various Saudi ports. According to the Saudi Port Authority (SPA), seven ships with 202 000 t of cement reached Dammam Port last week, 72 000 t will come through Jazan Port and 45 000 t has arrived at Yanbu Port.

In May, we reported that SPA was ready to receive shipments of cement, which are necessary as local supply falls short of demand. Temporary storage and a total of 17 docking stations were allocated by SPA for handling cement and clinker in ports in Jeddag, Dammam, Jubail, Yanbu, Dhuba and Jazan.

Infrastructure projects and construction works have significantly boosted cement demand. Saudi Arabia faces a housing shortage, thanks to population growth and a swelling number of expat workers looking to make the most of the Kingdom’s burgeoning oil and gas industry. The construction boom is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, but in the meantime, while new cement plants are in the planning stages and expansion projects have been announced, imports will have to make up the shortfall.

Edited from various sources by Katherine Guenioui.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/africa-middle-east/01072013/saudi_arabia_receives_cement_shipments_33/