Dubai: Wilhelmsen Ships Service has named Alex Lewis as the new general manager for its operations in Saudi Arabia in order to increase its presence in the region. Lewis will be based in Dammam and report to Richard Mogg, area director- Middle East. His appointment came into effect from 1 January 2009, at which point the acting gm for Saudi Arabia, Oystein K Nilssen, returned to his principal role as gm of Wilhelmsen Ships Service in Bahrain.
"The Saudi Arabian market is core to the development of our business in the Middle East," said Mogg. "Alex Lewis's appointment follows the recent strengthening our capabilities in sales and sperations. We have been trading in Saudi Arabia for over 30 years but we expect large-scale investments in port and industrial infrastructure will create opportunities that we have not seen before. We will soon have a strong organisation which can take those opportunities."
Despite the global economic down-turn major projects are still continuing in Saudi Arabia and are planned to commence in the coming months and years. Wilhelmsen Ships Service is involved in a number of ongoing major infrastructure projects such as a cement plant relocation to Rabigh, Manifa causeway construction, as well as Ras Al Zour port construction, which is critical to the success of Saudi Arabia's ambitious $3.5bn downstream oil and gas projects. The landmark project at Ras Al Zour will cover approximately 1,097 miles and provide for the transportation of freight, minerals and passengers across Saudi Arabia. The associated railway project is scheduled for completion in 2012.
Lewis is very enthusiastic about these developments. "These investments in infrastructure will significantly increase shipping traffic in this area. To further strengthen our ability to meet the developing requirements of our customers, we will initially concentrate on standardising services across the Kingdom. We will also develop of our sales and customer service capabilities by increasing our service standards and the availability of our Unitor products. We want to be regarded by our customers as the best in the business here in Saudi Arabia. We will achieve this through focusing on our company values and constant attention to our quality system." [26/02/09]
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