As per Mawani, the Saudi Ports Authority, cargo operator MSC plans to connect Jeddah Islamic Port via the East Africa-Red Sea and Red Sea Shipping services. This move will connect Saudi Arabia with East Africa and boost the Arab country’s maritime connectivity as per National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS).
The added connectivity indicates the strengthening position of Jeddah in the worldwide trade network. Weekly East Africa – Red Sea shipping line will connect Jeddah Islamic Port and King Abdullah Port with the trade hubs of Djibouti, Mombasa, and Dar Es Salaam with a transit time of two days, nine days, and twelve days each. The journey will begin onboard four vessels with a 2,500-TEU capacity each in early March.
MSC will operate the bi-monthly Red Sea service from the ports of King Abdullah and Jeddah to Port Sudan with an estimated transit time of one day at a total capacity of 1000 TEUs.
Mawani has boosted collaborations with global shipping liners to expand and capture a bigger share of the regional transhipment market, increase overall volumes, and transform Jeddah into an international top-ten port by 2030.
