The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia presents new identity to oil and gas industry partners

The event, held at the Westin Hotel Dubai Beach Resort & Marina, was attended by VIPs, clients and customers from the UAE and across the globe.

Saleh Al Jasser, Bahri CEO, said, "Our evolution to becoming Bahri is a logical response to our growing economies and the changing patterns of trade--- new realities mean new innovation to match. Our successes can, in large part, be attributed to an organizational focus on both safety and quality, and our quest to serve as a global benchmark for shipping infrastructure, technology and service."

"Ultimately, just as we set out to do in 1979, Bahri will continue connecting economies, sharing prosperity and driving excellence in global logistics services," he continued.

Bahri is the first private sector company of Saudi Arabia in the shipping industry and one of the pioneers in the Middle East and North Africa to successfully implement Oracle GRC & Oracle Hyperion. In June of 2012, Bahri signed an MOU with Saudi Aramco to pursue a merge of fleets and operations with Aramco shipping subsidiary Vela International Marine Limited, making Bahri the exclusive provider of VLCC crude oil shipping services to the oil & gas giant.

In his welcoming remarks, Saleh Al-Shamekh, President- Oil & Gas, said, "Our unrelenting commitment to excellence has resulted in us becoming one of the world's most respected shipping lines. It is now time for us to take the next big step: the move from being a strong service provider to a powerful, international brand."

"The oil & gas transport segment is the largest operating segment of Bahri and has evolved extraordinarily since we established sector operations in 1996. We wanted to take this opportunity to launch our new brand together with our oil & gas partners, who have been instrumental in our growth and development," he added.

The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia was launched in 1979 as Saudi Arabia's national carrier and initially specialized as a general cargo carrier. More than 30 years later, Bahri has expanded and diversified to offer services in oil & gas, chemicals, dry bulk and ship management. This remarkable growth and expansion has culminated in the launch of the new identity and Bahri brand. Bahri's new brand will be bolstered by a new and improved online presence that will be rolled out in the coming months.

Bahri's crude oil transport segment operates a fleet of 17 Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) in the spot market and long-term contracts (time charter) basis, and has invested heavily energy saving technology and electronic control systems for the main operational engines. In 2011 Bahri carriers transported the equivalent of nearly 36 million barrels of crude oil, with 45% of the routes originating in the Arabian Gulf reaching the Far East, 30% reaching the United States of America, and 25% originating from West Africa reaching the Far East.