“Neom” company, which is building a massive smart technology city in North Saudi Arabia, has taken over the management of the Northern Port of Duba, according to an official statement.

The Saudi Ports Authority (SPA), which manages sea ports in the largest Arab economy, decided to transfer “the management and operation” of the Port to Neom as from Aug 1, SPA said in a statement carried by the Arabic language daily Alwatan and other Saudi publications.

“Neom will be responsible for all operations and management services at the Port of Duba and its relations with the public and private sectors,” the statement said.

SPA will retain some services, including issuing regulations for the Port along with other ports in the Kingdom, licensing all port activities, collecting port fees and supervising vessels using the port, the statement added.

Neom is building the “Neom Smart City” for technologies in the Northwestern Saudi Tabuk Province with an area of more than 26,000 sq km (10,000 sq miles).

Duba Port, which was launched in 1994, is located in that province and comprises 10 berths, with a total capacity of nearly 10 million tonnes per year.
Source: Reuters (Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)