Jeddah Seaport
Encyclopedia
Overview
The port lies on the Red SeaRed Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
coast at latitude 28° 21' north and longitude 39° 10' east. It is the Saudi's
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
principal port serving the holy cities of Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
and Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
. 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 Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
was developing into a modern country.
The Port established in September 1976, whereupon it started developing its facilities. The port has expanded from a modest 10 operational berths in 1976 to the 58 berths of international standard in service today.
Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
Islamic Port is a congestion free harbor. It occupies an area of 10.5 square kilometers and its deep water quays provide an overall berthing length of 11.2 kilometers with a maximum draft of 16 metres.
The port can accommodate the latest generation of large container vessels with a capacity of 6500 TEUs.
647 A.D.
- The third Muslim caliphCaliphThe Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
Uthman Ibn Affan establishes the fishing village of Jeddah as the seaport for nearby Mekkah.
2008
- Jeddah Seaport is the western terminus of the Saudi Landbridge ProjectSaudi Landbridge ProjectThe Saudi Landbridge Project is a planned railway project which forms part of the .Intended mainly for freight, the railway will connect Jeddah on the Red Sea coast with the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. The existing 450 km line between Riyadh and Dammam will be upgraded, and a second...
, the eastern terminus being Damman
Nearby wrecks
Along the coastline of the Red Sea runs a parallel stretch of coral reefCoral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s. Jeddah is one of the few places where a gap in the reefs allows large vessels to 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 run aground to the north and to the south of the entrance to the port: thus marking the safe shipping lane between them.
As of 2007 at least three large ships have been reported lying south of Jeddah. At 20°52′02.87"N 39°21′39.77"E lies the "Saudi Golden Arrow", ex-Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
Ferry "M/S Europafergen" reported laid up at Shoieba.
Also since about 2000 the "Al Basmalah I" 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.
Some 14.6 kilometers southwest of the old city center at 21°22′35.67"N 39°07′13.51"E, approximately 1.74 kilometers from the coast, a half submerged wreck can be viewed on Google Earth.