- Business
- The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri; 4030.SR), founded in 1978 and headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, serves as the Kingdom's national shipping carrier and a global leader in maritime logistics and transportation, operating a diversified fleet exceeding 100 owned vessels across key segments including crude oil, chemicals, dry bulk, integrated logistics, ship management, and marine services. Bahri Oil stands as the world's largest owner and operator of Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), with approximately 38 VLCCs and product tankers transporting crude oil and refined products along major routes such as Arabian Gulf to US Gulf, East Asia, and Europe; Bahri Chemicals, an 80/20 joint venture with SABIC, manages the Middle East's largest fleet of medium-range chemical tankers (around 36 vessels) for chemicals, clean petroleum products, and vegetable oils; Bahri Dry Bulk, a joint venture with ARASCO, operates Kamsarmax and Ultramax carriers for major and minor dry bulk cargoes; Bahri Integrated Logistics provides end-to-end solutions encompassing freight forwarding (air, sea, road), RoRo and RoCon vessels for project/general cargo/military shipments, customs clearance, contract logistics, and turnkey services for oil & gas, petrochemical, and infrastructure sectors; Bahri Ship Management delivers technical, crew, and commercial oversight for the group's fleet emphasizing safety, ISO certifications, and environmental compliance; while Bahri Marine operates desalination barges as a partner to the Saudi Water Authority. The company maintains a global footprint with offices in Dubai, UAE; USA; India; Egypt; and key Saudi ports like Jeddah Islamic Port (owning a container yard) and Dammam, serving oil majors such as Saudi Aramco and SABIC, traders like Vitol and Trafigura, government entities including the Ministries of Defense and Interior, and industries spanning energy, petrochemicals, agriculture, and defense primarily across Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Mediterranean, Americas, Asia, and Europe. In recent developments, Bahri completed a $1 billion acquisition of nine VLCCs from Capital Maritime & Trading Corporation in 2025, financed partly by a USD 756 million Murabaha agreement with Alinma Bank, expanding its oil fleet and total owned vessels beyond 100 as of mid-2025; added 11 new vessels in H1 2025 including scrubber-equipped units (69% of VLCCs now fitted), boosting fleet efficiency and sustainability; ordered six Saudi-built Ultramax bulk carriers from International Maritime Industries in October 2025; fully deployed three desalination barges for stable revenue diversification; and reported H1 2025 net profit of SAR 940 million with Q2 revenue up 14% quarter-on-quarter, alongside shareholder returns via SAR 1.00 per share dividends and 25% bonus shares, all aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 to position the Kingdom as a logistics hub.