The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) announced on Monday a new service that will connect Jubail Port with 11 global ports in Türkiye, the Indian Subcontinent, Africa, and the Middle East.
To be operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Co., the new service will connect Jubail Port with 11 global ports via weekly sailings to Middle Eastern ports: UAE’s Khalifa and Jebel Ali, Hamad in Qatar, Karachi in Pakistan, Mundra and Hazira in India, Alexandria in Egypt, Tekirdag and Aliaga and Mersin in Türkiye, and King Abdullah port in Saudi Arabia.
The service will operate five vessels with an average carrying capacity of 8,000 containers.
The announcement meets Mawani’s strategic goal to improve the maritime navigation network’s connectivity index and global shipping services, and aligns with the objectives of the national strategy for transport and logistics services, which seeks to consolidate the Kingdom’s position as a global logistics hub that connects three continents together.
The Jubail commercial port is one of the main ports that support the movement of Saudi exports and imports to global markets, in particular industrial and petrochemical products.
The port is characterized by its advanced equipment that enables it to receive various types and sizes of ships, which enhances the maritime transport sector and logistic services and supports economic activities in the eastern region due to its proximity to production centers.
In December, Mawani announced the addition of King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam to the Shaheen Express shipping service by container carrier giant Maersk in a bid to boost trade between the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Subcontinent.
The service links King Abdulaziz Port to regional hubs such as Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates and Mundra and Pipavav in India.
This comes within the framework of the initiatives launched by Mawani to develop the maritime sector, improve operational efficiency and the regulatory and legislative environment by re-engineering procedures, strengthening effective partnerships with the private sector, as well as increasing shipping lines and establishing integrated logistical areas.
