Jeddah Islamic Port has registered its highest container throughput in a month by processing 473,676 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in June, a 16% surge over 406,913 TEUs recorded for the same period last year, reported SPA.

 

The operational achievement comes amid large-scale development plans implemented by the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) to upgrade and expand the Red Sea Hub, including a SR9 billion ($2.4 billion ) concession with DP World to upgrade capacity at the South Container Terminal to 13 million TEUs. 

 

This in line with the kingdom's long term objectives of positioning Jeddah as a top ten port and fulfilling the ambitions of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS) that seek to transform Saudi Arabia into a global logistics destination.

 

The first half of 2023 saw major shipping liners add Jeddah to eight cargo services, providing reliable and faster maritime connections to 260 ports across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, the Americas, and the Indian subcontinent, besides contributing to an increased flow of trade and investments into the kingdom.

 

With a strategic location along the East-West trade route, Jeddah Islamic Port boasts 62 multipurpose berths and cutting-edge infrastructure designed to efficiently handle goods and vessels, stated the SPA report. 

 

Last year alone saw 56 million tonnes of cargo, five million TEUs of containers, and three million TEUs of transshipments pass through the kingdom’s busiest port, it added.