Saudi Ports Authority and Maersk to develop $346m logistics park at Jeddah Port

RIYADH : The Saudi Ports Authority, also known as Mawani, and Danish shipping company Maersk on Wednesday announced the establishment of the region’s “largest logistics park” at a cost of $346 million at the Jeddah Islamic Port.

The facility is scheduled to be completed by the first quarter of 2024 and will help create more than 2,500 direct and indirect job opportunities.

To be built on 225,000 sq.m, it will have an annual capacity of handling 200,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo. The project includes storage and distribution areas that accommodate exports and imports of general merchandise, warehouses to accommodate refrigerated food items, and special areas for transshipment, air freight, and cargo shipments.

The facility will rely on solar energy to power its units and use the latest technology to decarbonize logistics services to achieve net zero by 2040. Electric trucks will be used for transportation to reduce emissions.

The logistics park will also include advanced digital warehouse management systems. It is part of the port authority’s efforts to encourage the private sector to invest in the sector in line with the Kingdom’s Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services. The strategy seeks to position Saudi Arabia as a global logistics hub.