| Work Detail |
The new integrated Maersk logistics park will span an area of 225,000m2 Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) and Danish shipping giant Maersk have laid the foundation stone to establish the integrated Maersk logistics park at Jeddah Islamic Port in Saudi Arabia. The project will have a cost $346.4 million (SR1.3 billion). It will be the largest regional integrated logistics park upon completion. The new Maersk logistics park covers an area of 225,000m2 and will have an annual capacity of close to 200,000 twenty foot-equivalent units (TEUs) across various products. The statement added that the logistics park is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024. The park will provide more than 2,500 direct and indirect job opportunities. Maersk logistics park: background In October 2021, Mawani’s president, Omar bin Talal Hariri said that the strategic partnership between the Saudi ports authority and Maersk is an important step toward achieving its ambition for Jeddah Islamic Port to become among the top ten ports in the world by 2030. The Maersk logistics facility at the Jeddah port is part of Mawani’s new initiative to develop and offer investment opportunities in the logistical zones to the private sector. The aim is to increase the number of logistical zones that include re-export to reach 30 by 2030, as per the objectives of the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services. The zone will include storage and distribution areas that accommodate merchandise intended for export and import, warehouses to accommodate refrigerated food products, as well as a re-shipping area, air shipping, LCL cargo shipping, and an e-commerce execution centre, with high-storage intensity designs, and leading mechanical solutions. The Maersk logistics park will operate according to an advanced warehouse management system that applies modern technologies and digital solutions to manage inventory efficiently, and provides unit-level tracking. An advanced dashboard will be provided for improving competencies and giving a competitive advantage to importers, exporters and navigational agents, and an in-house women’s academy will offer training programmes dedicated to women. Jeddah Islamic Port in Saudi Arabia Several operations expansion programmes are under way at the Jeddah Islamic Port in Saudi Arabia. Earlier in February, Mawani and Saudi shipping giant Bahri jointly announced the addition of a new freight service connecting Europe and Asia via Jeddah Islamic Port. Jeddah Islamic Port is set to welcome the route’s first ship this month. The new route will help grow Bahri’s shipping network coverage and will also bolster its international supply chains. Vessels on the new service will set sail from the ports of Bremerhaven, Antwerp, and Montoir in Europe before calling at Jeddah on its way to the Indian port of Ennore, and the Chinese ports of Taicang and Shanghai. Late in January, the Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT), a strategic partner of Jeddah Islamic Port and the operator of its North Container Terminal, procured three Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes in its pursuit to supercharge operational efficiency at the world-class hub. The North Container Terminal is now home to 24 state-of-the-art cranes with the addition of the latest batch of heavy-duty equipment, thus fulfilling a critical component in the 6-billion-riyal concession agreement between the terminal operator and the national maritime regulator that seeks to upgrade the installed capacity of the facility to 8.8 million TEUs, said a statement from RSGT. The expansion forms part of Mawani’s wider ambitions to transform Saudi Arabia’s maritime sector into a global logistics powerhouse as part of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS). Featuring 62 berths, four terminals, and an annual throughput of 130 million tonnes, the 12.5km2 port is the kingdom’s busiest and the Red Sea’s leading hub for maritime trade, transshipments, and re-exports, with a target to occupy a top-10 spot among the world’s best by 2030. |
