Study of water transportation to Saudi Arabia

Three regional sources of freshwater around Saudi Arabia are identifed: 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 m³, respectively, in a 300,000-dwt tanker. Reported transportation costs through backhaul service (return cargo) are $1 and $2/m³ at worldscales of 30 and 60, respectively. These costs compare favorably with desalination costs of $1.54-$4.5/m³ in Saudi Arabia. Using these unit costs, four scenarios are discussed for transportation of 910,000 m³ of water/ day through different schemes. Water transportation from Pakistan appears to be the most cost-effective of the alternatives and can be made operational at short notice with a small capital investment.