Al-Hajry Overseas is a company with a long history of
service in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Back in the days when the Kingdom was young, the Al-Hajry
family business was in pearling. Saudi Arabia was not always the petroleum titan
that it is today. In the 1930s, dozens of Al-Hajry dhows sailed the Arabian
Gulf, down the coast of India as far as Columbo, in search of the magnificent
pearls famous in the region. Each dhow had 36 divers and other crew members. It
was such a large operation that two supply ships that brought foodstuffs and
took away the pearls and seafood serviced the Al-Hajry fleet.
But after the Japanese succeeded in producing cultured
pearls commercially, pearling gradually became less profitable and the Al-Hajry
Family looked for new business lines. The evolution of the Hajry Family’s
businesses has always been in step with the Kingdom’s progress.
In the 1950’s, the Al-Hajry Family began to work with the
Arabian American Oil Company - now called Saudi Aramco. Initially, the Family
provided the company with shrimp and fish through the port at Ras Tanura. For
more than a decade, twenty Al-Hajry ships plied the waters of the Arabian Gulf
and beyond, to provide millions of tons of fresh seafood to Aramco.
The Al-Hajry Family installed the first Ice Plant in Rahima
near Ras Tanura. The Family also set up large Ice Plants in Qatif, Saihat
andJubail; these plants were beneficial to all, as refrigerators were not common
yet in the region. The Ice Plants aided businesses in the preservation of
foodstuffs and consequently improved the health of the local community.
Over the years, confidence grew in the Al-Hajry Family’s
ability to deliver excellent service. In the 1960s, the Family’s cooperation
with Aramco grew. The Al-Hajry Family began to maintain the oil tanks in Ras
Tanura. During the 1970s, from the Ras Tanura Port, the Al-Hajry Family supplied
items from foodstuffs to spare parts to diesel fuel for ships of companies such
as ESSO, MOBIL, TEXACO and many others. In 1979, the Al-Hajry Family set up a
Joint Venture with the LIGABUE group of companies in Venice, Italy, for catering
services in Saudi Arabia. This successful venture continues to this day. In
1980, the Al-Hajry Family installed and operated the first factory for
polystyrene in Dammam.
The Al-Hajry Family also has a history of supporting
international military operations. For example, they were responsible for
maintaining and cleaning the tanks holding jet fuel on many of the ships
chartered by the US Navy during the Vietnam War.
Al-Hajry Overseas (AHO) was founded in 1973, with a focus
on maintenance, technical, communications and other service contracts. The first
contract awarded to AHO was a maintenance contract with the Aramco in Abqaiq,
and then with Aramco in Ras Tanura and Dhahran. In 1983, AHO branched out
further, becoming involved in the Real Estate business, partnering with the
Kingdom’s Mawten Company.
Today, AHO still maintains its head office
in Dammam, with other major regional offices in Riyadh and Jeddah. AHO also
operates branch offices in Madinah, Makkah, Al-Jouf, Tabouk and Abha. AHO is
well known for providing
(Civil, and HVAC), Computer Maintenance & Services and & Services. For companies in search of
highly qualified, professional manpower in these fields, AHO is the logical
choice.