Bahri spearheads Saudi Arabia's maritime growth in line with Saudi Vision 2030

As Saudi Arabia continues its journey toward becoming a global maritime cluster under its Vision 2030, Bahri - the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia - stands at the helm, navigating the Kingdom toward a prosperous and sustainable maritime future on the world stage. The Kingdom's premier shipping and logistics company, it has embarked on an aggressive expansion and modernisation strategy that directly supports Saudi Arabia's vision to diversify its economy beyond oil and establish itself as a global maritime cluster.

As a Founding Strategic Partner of Saudi Maritime Logistics Congress, Bahri will be an integral part of the event’s sixth edition taking place in Dhahran Expo, Dammam from 1-2 October 2025.

“Saudi Maritime Logistics Congress is the leading platform to showcase Bahri’s efforts to transform the maritime industry as a global logistics and transportation leader," said Eng. Ahmed Alsubaey (pictured), CEO of Bahri. "Our strategy is sharply focused on capitalising on new growth opportunities by deepening our presence in current markets and expanding into new ones, leveraging Bahri's unmatched human resources and technical capabilities combined with our strong passion for pioneering innovation. We look forward to sharing our vision and meeting with global maritime and logistics leaders during this innovative conference and exhibition” he added.

Bahri's commitment to excellence is evidenced by its recent significant investments in fleet expansion. In August 2024, the company secured a landmark $1 billion deal to acquire nine Very Large Crude-oil Carriers (VLCCs) from Capital Marine and Trading Cooperation, reinforcing its position as one of the largest VLCC operators worldwide.

This acquisition was part of a broader fleet modernisation initiative that sees Bahri operate an impressive fleet of 103 owned vessels, and three floating desalination barges. 

Bahri's strategic vision extends beyond fleet expansion to include the development of a comprehensive maritime ecosystem within Saudi Arabia. The company has formed strategic partnerships with key national entities to strengthen the Kingdom's maritime capabilities including: a strategic Letter of Intent with Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma'aden) to explore collaboration opportunities for localising maritime industries and developing resilient supply chains; partnership with the Saudi Logistics Academy to enhance employment opportunities and skills development in the maritime logistics sector, and expansion of Bahri Ship Management's service portfolio to provide technical ship management and crewing services to other maritime operators.

This year’s Saudi Maritime Logistics Congress is organised by Seatrade Maritime, part of Informa Markets and with Founding Strategic Partner, Bahri, alongside Main Partners, Mawani, and TGA.

According to Chris Morley, Group Director, Seatrade Maritime: “The maritime industry represents a crucial component of Saudi Arabia's ‘blue economy’ strategy, which recognises the potential for significant returns on maritime investments as part of the broader economic transformation agenda. Our objective is to showcase the phenomenal opportunities available through collaborations with both national and international companies, as well as deep dive into the multiple ongoing projects. The conference agenda will spotlight investment, innovation and sustainability amongst other key topics and bring together over 100 regional and international experts.”

“Our ultimate aim is to facilitate fruitful cooperation between the public and private sector entities that catalyses growth for our industry.” Morley concluded.

The two-day event includes both an international exhibition and a detailed conference programme spread across two stages with multiple free-to-attend sessions.

The sixth edition in the annual cycle follows on from a record-breaking 2024 which saw more than 10,000 visitors converge on Dhahran Expo to do business and gain up-to-date knowledge from industry specialists.