The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has announced the addition of Jeddah Islamic Port to the East Africa – Red Sea and Red Sea shipping services by cargo operator MSC.

Jeddah’s inclusion as a port of call illustrates its growing position in the global trade network while at the same time enhancing the Kingdom’s maritime connectivity in line with the ambitions of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS).

Sailing in early March onboard four vessels with a 2,500-TEU capacity each, the weekly East Africa – Red Sea service will link Jeddah Islamic Port and King Abdullah Port to the trade hubs of Djibouti, Mombasa, and Dar Es Salaam with a transit time of two days, nine days, and twelve days respectively.

MSC will similarly run its bi-monthly Red Sea service from the ports of Jeddah and King Abdullah to Port Sudan with an estimated transit time of one day at a total capacity of 1000 TEUs.

Through increased collaborations with global shipping liners, the national maritime regulator has hit a major milestone in its expansion plans that aim to capture a bigger share of the regional transshipment market, bolster overall throughput volumes, and transform Jeddah into a top-ten port by 2030.