Saudi Ports Authority in new international shipping deal

This new Maersk shipping license is the fourth of its kind to be issued to foreign investors in the Kingdom. Maersk joins other major lines of Barwil, Hapag-Lloyd and the Mediterranean Shipping Company, already operating.

Saad Abdul Aziz Al-Khalb, President of the Saudi Ports Authority, (Mawani) commented that “We have issued a license to Maersk (Saudi Arabia) to operate in all 9 Saudi ports. This reflects our mutual confidence as container volume increases and KSA expands as regional logistics hub.”

This contract follows the Saudi Ports Authority’s recent approval of general licensing, new maritime regulations and ship financing, as part of the fulfilment of Vision 2030 objectives, along with the improved customer satisfaction, increased performance and new employment opportunities for Saudis.

The President added “Our new positive business environment is attracting great interest from new investors and suppliers. This increases both our capacity and abilities to match marketplace demands to better serve both Saudi business owners, and international brands across the Kingdom.”

Maersk (Saudi Arabia) is the local division of one of the world’s largest and best-known logistics & shipping companies. The parent company, AP Moller-Maersk, is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Saudi Arabian ports supervised by Mawani witnessed remarkable growth in tonnage handled during the first half of 2019, up by 133 million tonnes, an increase of 4.32 percent on the previous year, with the number of containers handled up by 3.4 million, an increase of 9.22 percent compared to the same period last year.

This increase in volume underlines Mawani’s enhanced capabilities, competitive operational and logistical services, as well as the flexibility and ease of procedures, as a result of measures implemented to improve services, performance and productivity, in order to achieve Saudi Vision 2030 objectives related to industry and logistics.