New shipping services to connect King Abdulaziz Port with 6 regional and international ports
The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has announced the addition of the Far East to Middle East (FAM) shipping service to King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam by Singapore based liner Sea Lead Shipping in partnership with container terminal operator Saudi Global Ports (SGP) as it looks to provide additional capacity for importers and exporters along with promoting regional and international trade, according to the company's release.
This coincides with the commencement of the Jebel Ali Bahrain Shuwaikh Service (EJBS) by Dubai based container carrier Emirates Shipping Line (ESL), whose rotation includes King Abdulaziz Port, Shuwaikh Port, Jebel Ali Port, Khalifa Bin Salman Port, and King Abdulaziz Port. The new service promises to shorten shipping transit times between Gulf ports.
The new liner services, which kicked-off on 15th November, are set to strengthen King Abdulaziz Port's position as a regional and global hub that links the eastern ports while bolstering its transshipment and cargo volumes, strengthening supply chains, and increasing the port's market share in the region's maritime freight traffic.
The FAM service will connect Dammam to six major ports across the GCC and East Asia, namely Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Jebel Ali, and Hamad, with an average fleet capacity of 6,900 TEUs.
With a direct service linking King Abdulaziz Port to China's Qingdao Port, Saudi exporters can access global markets in record time and unlock exciting trade opportunities with their competitive offerings.
The maritime sector regulator has played an outsize role in supporting the logistics industry by upgrading and expanding its best-in-class offerings to importers, exporters, and shipping agents in line with the goals of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS) to transform Saudi Arabia into a global logistics center connecting three major continents.
King Abdulaziz Port had earlier introduced the Gulf-India Express 2 (GIX2) service by Aladin Express DMCC, which connects it to four regional and global ports. It was preceded by the addition of Shanghai and Singapore as ports of call to the Gulf China Service (GCS) by Pacific International Lines (PIL) in June this year, thereby connecting the Kingdom's northern trade gateway to the world's top two busiest ports.
The port had clinched the fourteenth position in the World Bank's Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) for 2021 in a nod to its strong annual performance, operational and logistical capabilities, and development strategies.
