The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has revealed that the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), a global transport and logistics company, will introduce a new call to its Himalaya Express Service to connect Jeddah Islamic Port with 10 global ports, reflecting MSC's long standing commitment to serving the Saudi market, and to expand import and export operations in Saudi ports. Considering the port's strategic location at the crossroads of three major continents, thereby boosting its competitive position, increasing transshipment operations, and enabling global trade, since it's the largest port for importing and exporting containers in the Kingdom. The new addition will link Jeddah Islamic Port with ports of Colombo, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Salalah, King Abdullah Port, Valencia, Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Antwerp, while the service will include 11 mother ships with a capacity of 14,000 TEUs for each vessel, with its first vessel sailing is expected to arrive at Jeddah Islamic Port on 23rd October. This cooperation between Mawani and MSC will enhance Saudi ports performance on the investment and logistical fronts along with fulfilling its aim of providing direct services to clients, by strengthening connectivity between the Kingdom and the world which will reflect positively on the operational efficiency, to align with the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS) of positioning Saudi Arabia as a global logistics hub. The Jeddah Islamic Port derives its prominence from various attributes which make it one of the world's major trade gateways. Besides being the Kingdom's top import and export destination, the port remains the region's - and the Red Sea's - leading hub for trade and transshipment, as it was listed 8th on the Container Port Performance Index, issued by the World Bank in its 2021 edition.
