Saudi Arabia’s Ports Authority (MAWANI) has launched a new direct shipping service connecting Kingdom to Djibouti in an important development that helps to utilize the significant potential of the country’s ports.
According to the statement, this will support increasing its petrochemicals exports and transshipments, and further expanding its maritime network around the globe.
With over 100 containers shipped weekly from Jeddah Islamic Port to Djibouti, the new service is a vital new link between Saudi Arabia and the East African continent. It will promote and facilitate intra-regional trade and enhance opportunities for investment in the Kingdom, as well as support leading container transport company Transfer.
“The Jeddah-Djibouti service marks an important milestone in the development of Jeddah Islamic Port as a world-leading hub, further solidifying its status as a rising force in the maritime industry, and one of three Saudi ports included in the 2021 edition of Lloyd’s List of Top 100 Ports,” as per the statement.
According to the UNCTAD annual index for 2020, the Kingdom ranks fifth in the world in container ship handling. Saudi Arabia has the largest port network in the Middle East, receiving 20-25 thousand ships yearly as a result of consistent expansion and improvement.
According to the statement, “Ongoing initiatives have seen the Authority partner with several major international shipping lines as it works to enable, expand and transform Saudi ports, fulfilling national strategic objectives for the development of transport and logistics services under Saudi Vision 2030, and securing the Kingdom’s position as a global hub.”
In November, MAWANI signed an agreement with Cruise Saudi and Globe Group to build a new cruise terminal at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam.
