Bahri plans to enter Saudi offshore vessel market

摘要

Saudi Arabian group Bahri is preparing to become an offshore support vessel owner to provide logistics and other services to state energy group Saudi Aramco. The company will use its knowledge from managing offshore vessels from its Dubai office. It will also use some of its experience of operating tankers of the Vela International fleet, said operations supervisor Abdul Aziz Al Sumali. Bahri has grown into one of the largest shipping conglomerates in the region, from operating just four multipurpose vessels in 1979. It operates a fleet of 52 ships, including crude tankers, chemical carriers and dry bulk ships. It is beginning to absorb the fleet of tankers once owned by Saudi Aramco's shipping arm Vela International, including 15 very large crude carriers and five product tankers. It has split the oil and gas division into Bahri Oil, which manages crude and refined products transportation, and Bahri Gas & Offshore. This section of the company will manage gas carriers and offshore support vessels. The Saudi Arabian Government owns 30 per cent of Bahri.