The Port of New Orleans welcomed the return of roll-on, roll-off service with the inaugural call of the Bahri Yanbu, a new state-of-the-art multipurpose vessel, in mid-August at the Nashville Avenue Terminal Complex operated by Ports America.
“The return of roll-on/roll-off service to the Port of New Orleans – for the first time since 2005 – helps us meet the diverse needs of the marketplace and increases our global competitiveness,” said Brandy D. Christian, Port of New Orleans President and CEO. “The Bahri ships are flexible, state-of-the-art vessels that can simultaneously accommodate Project, Roll-on/Roll-off, Break-bulk and Container Cargo. We expect shippers will be pleased with its flexibility and efficiency.”
Bahri, formerly known as the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (NSCSA), announced its decision to call at the Port of New Orleans after securing new business contracts, which allows it to deliver onshore and offshore services to its New Orleans and Gulf region customers.
Steve Blowers, Country Manager, Bahri Logistics, said, “Bahri is committed to realizing its vision of connecting economies, sharing prosperity and driving excellence in global logistics services. We are constantly seeking to expand our global reach to provide greater speed and convenience to our customers, and adding a new port call at New Orleans will allow us to more efficiently cater to the needs of customers in North America, where our order volumes are steadily increasing.”
Bahri's new state-of-the-art 26,000 DWT RoCon service connects the Port of New Orleans with the Mediterranean, Middle East, and India approximately every 24 days with the next call set for late October.