Farooq,
S.., Al-Layla,
R.I.
Civil Engineering
University of Petroleum &
Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
Study of water transportation to
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sudan, Egypt and
Iraq
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Abstract
Three
regional sources of freshwater around Saudi
Arabia are identified: the Indus
River in Pakistan,
the Nile River
in Sudan and Egypt, and the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers
in Iraq.
Transportation costs are calculated using tanker shuttle service, in which case
tankers are used exclusively for the transportation of freshwater between
loading and unloading ports. The average water transportation costs from
Karachi to Dammam, Port Sudan to Jeddah, and Suez to Jeddah are $0.79, $0.29
and $0.61 m 3 , respectively, in a 300 000-dwt tanker. Reported
transportation costs through backhaul service (return cargo) are $1 and $2/m 3
at worldscales of 30 and 60, respectively. These costs compare favorably with
desalination costs of $1.54-$4.5/m 3 in Saudi Arabia. Using these unit
costs, four scenarios are discussed for transportation of 910 000 m 3
of water/day through different schemes. Water transportation from Pakistan
appears to be the most cost-effective. -from ASCE Publications Information