The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has announced the addition of Aladin Express DMCC's shipping service, Gulf-India Express 2 (GIX2), to King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam in a bid to boost direct trade and shipping between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world. The new service will connect the capital of the Kingdom's Eastern Province to the ports of Jebel Ali in the UAE, Khalifa Bin Salman in Bahrain, Hamad in Qatar, and Mundra in India every two weeks via the vessel "Green Ace", which has a carrying capacity of 1,740 TEUs. This step is part of the developmental drive undertaken by Saudi ports to elevate ports and the maritime transport sector as well as upgrade its portfolio of services to importers, exporters, and shipping agents in what is an extension to Mawani's pursuit of strengthening the logistics industry through building world-class logistics parks within and beyond port areas. Similarly, measures such as launching the Smart Ports initiative to deploy and accelerate 5G-enabled digital transformation in local ports fall in line with the goals of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS) to position the Kingdom as a global logistics hub linking three major continents. Last December saw global shipping lines such as Pacific International Lines (PIL), Regional Container Lines (RCL), and China United Lines (CUL) start a weekly shipping service from China to King Abdulaziz Port in collaboration with Saudi Global Ports (SGP). The port's competitiveness and expansionary plans were further bolstered with the addition of Shanghai and Singapore to PIL's service in June this year, therefore enhancing import and export operations. As part of a recent deal between Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company (ZPMC) and SGP under the auspices of Mawani, the Chinese state-owned port equipment maker will manufacture three state-of-the-art quay cranes to enable King Abdulaziz Port to receive giant vessels. The Port, which ranked fourteenth in the World Bank's Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) for 2021, handled a record 199,609 TEUs last August, thanks to its best-in-class operating and logistical capabilities, continuing development streak, and resolve to scale greater heights in productivity and performance.
