By: AGBI

The state-run Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) will invest SAR641 million ($170 million) to expand cargo-handling operations at Jeddah Islamic Port on the Red Sea.

The investment will be made in partnership with Dubai-based DP World and Red Sea Gateway Terminal, Mawani said in a statement.

The port will receive three new container cranes, 27 rubber-tyred gantry cranes, 91 terminal trucks and seven ground-handling units.

Container terminal space will be expanded by 200,000 square metres, and cold storage rooms will increase from eight to 75, supporting growing refrigerated cargo volumes.

Mawani has been attracting private-sector investment to develop Saudi Arabia’s port sector and strengthen supply chain resilience in line with Vision 2030.

The new investment follows the US-Israeli war with Iran, which virtually closed the Strait of Hormuz and disrupted the global energy and commodities supply chain.

In March, Saudi Arabia launched the Logistics Corridors Initiative to facilitate cargo transfers between GCC ports and strengthen supply chain resilience.

The new operational corridors aim to redirect cargo from eastern Saudi Arabia and GCC ports to Jeddah Islamic Port and other Red Sea ports to maintain trade flows.