https://arab.news/gegkv
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s maritime connectivity is set to improve with the launch of a new Ocean Rise Express shipping service linking Jeddah Islamic Port with major Asian and European ports.
Operated by CMA CGM, the new service connects Jeddah Islamic Port with Kobe, Nagoya, and Yokohama in Japan; Xiamen, Yantian, and Nansha in China; as well as Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Hamburg in Germany, and Southampton in the UK, according to a release issued by the Saudi Ports Authority, known as Mawani.
The route will deploy vessels with capacities of up to 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, aimed at improving supply chain efficiency and supporting trade flows between Saudi Arabia and international markets.
The launch builds on Mawani’s efforts to expand shipping connectivity with major global carriers and strengthen the Kingdom’s position in maritime transport and logistics services.
“This step reflects Mawani’s ongoing efforts to enhance the competitiveness of Jeddah Islamic Port on the global maritime transport map, support international trade movement, and enable access to new global markets, further strengthening the Kingdom’s standing as a global logistics hub and a pivotal center for international trade, in line with the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030,” the authority said.
Saudi Arabia aims to increase annual container throughput across its ports to 40 million TEUs by 2030 under the National Transport and Logistics Strategy.
In a separate development, Jeddah Islamic Port, through its Southern Container Terminal, handled 17,225 TEUs aboard the Maersk Elba container vessel operated by Maersk, marking one of the port’s largest container handling operations.
The achievement highlights the port’s growing capacity to accommodate mega container ships and reinforces efforts to improve supply chain efficiency and the competitiveness of Saudi ports.
Jeddah Islamic Port remains one of Saudi Arabia’s most strategically important ports on the Red Sea, serving as a key gateway connecting the Kingdom with international trade routes through advanced logistics infrastructure and integrated cargo handling facilities.
Saudi ports supervised by Mawani recorded a 10.58 percent year-on-year increase in container volumes in 2025, reaching 8.3 million TEUs.