Jubail

Jubail الجبيل
Jubail
Coordinates: 27°0′N 49°40′E
Country	Saudi Arabia
Province	Eastern Province
Government
• Jubail town
Population (2009)
• Total	150,367
Time zone	AST (UTC+3)

Jubail (Arabic: "الجبيل" Al Jubayl), is a city in the Eastern province on the Persian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia. It comprises the Old Town of Al Jubail, which was a small fishing village until 1975, and the new industrial area.

In 1975, the Saudi government designated Jubail as the site for a new industrial city. Rapid expansion and industrialization ensued. The new industrial and residential areas were named Madīnat al Jubayl aṣ Ṣinā`īyah (Jubail Industrial City). The Seventh Census Report for Jubail Industrial City, prepared in 2009, gives a resident population of 150,367.

It is the largest industrial complex of its kind in the world and comprises petrochemical plants,fertilizer plants, a steel works, an industrial port and myriad support industries. The Royal Saudi Naval Base, a separate commercial port, and a military air base are at Jubail. It holds the Middle East's largest and the world's fourth largest petrochemical company, SABIC. The world's largest seawater desalination plant, Saline Water Conversion Corporation, is at Jubail. It provides 50% of the country's drinking water through desalination of seawater from the Persian Gulf. A Japanese-South Korean consortium holds a $1892 million contract to build a new facility capable of producing a billion litres of fresh water per day by the end of 2013.

History

King Abdul-Aziz Naval Base

Jubail from space, June 1996

Factories in Jubail

The town of Al-Jubail on the Persian Gulf coast of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has ancient roots. Human habitation dates back at least 7,000 years when the people of Dilmun - whose civilization radiated up and down the Persian Gulf - established a settlement there. The first human settler might have been encouraged to stay by the site’s fine natural harbour and the abundance of fish and pearl oysters just offshore. More importantly, the presence of potable water wells near the town ensured the continued viability of human settlement.

In September 1933, Jubail gained a measure of fame as the landing site for the first team of geologists to explore for oil in Saudi Arabia.

Bechtel began work on the Jubail Industrial City project more than 30 years ago and is still working in Jubail now. It also stands as one of the greatest achievements of Bechtel, its employees, and families who worked and lived there. Bechtel has managed the Jubail project since it began in the mid-1970s, and in 2004, the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu asked the company to manage Jubail II, a $3.8 billion expansion of the city’s industrial and residential areas.

Jubail is a complete city, with all the industry, infrastructure, housing, shopping, educational and medical facilities required to support its present population of around 150,000 people. Saudi Arabian Bechtel Company (SABCO) performs ongoing engineering, procurement and construction management. Jubail II will add a second industrial area to house up to 22 new primary industries. The project calls for the expansion of King Fahd Industrial Port, pipeline refurbishment, increasing capacity of the cooling system, and new desalination plants.

Transportation

Airport

Although Jubail has three small airports; Jubail Airport, Abu Ali Airport, and one in King Abdulaziz Naval Base, none of them are for public use. The city is being served by King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, the terminal is about 70 km (43 mi) driving distance from Jubail.

Highway

Jubail is directly connected with other cities by two major highways; Dhahran-Jubail Highway and Abu Hadriyah Highway.

Railway

A branch of the Saudi Landbridge Project railway is proposed to connect Jubail to Dammam.

Seaport

There are two seaports in Jubail; Jubail Commercial Seaport and King Fahd Industrial Seaport.

Main sights

Jubail is home to a 4th century church, listed amongst the oldest surviving churches in the world.

References

• On-line video about Jubail at: www.bechtel.co.uk/Jubail
• Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu: www.rcjy.gov.sa
• Royal Commission Hospital http://www.rch.med.sa
• ISG School in Jubail: www.isg-jubail.org
• Al-Hussan School in Jubail: www.alhussan.edu.sa
• InterContinental Hotels Group: [1]
• International Indian School Al Jubail:[2]
• jubailnet.com the first news website about Jubail :[3]
• ALPHA Group Contracting Company Located in Jubail :[4]

External links

• Jubail Portal
• Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu
• General information on Al Jubayl
• Jubail City - Article about master planning the Jubail New Industrial City
• Pictures of a possibly Nestorian church excavated in Jubail
• ISO 3166-2:SA