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Mawani and Maersk develop logistics zone at Jeddah port

19 February 2023

Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) and Denmark-headquartered Maersk have broken ground on the $346m ecofriendly logistics park at Jeddah Islamic Port.

Once complete, it will be the region's largest integrated logistics park, spanning 225,000 square metres, with an annual capacity of 200,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo.

The facilities will include storage and distribution areas to export and import merchandise, and warehouses to accommodate refrigerated food products. There will also be a re-shipping area, air shipping, less than a container load (LCL) cargo shipping and an e-commerce execution centre.

The park will operate using an advanced warehouse management system.

The logistics park will be 100 per cent powered by rooftop solar panels. The zone will use the latest technologies to decarbonise services, with the aim of achieving zero-carbon rates by 2040. The trucks used for transport will be electric.

It is intended to support the sector’s growth as the country works to position itself as a global logistics hub connecting three continents.

Once operational, it will provide over 2,500 direct and indirect jobs.

The kingdom's logistics goals are outlined in Vision 2030 and are part of the National Transport & Logistics Strategy launched in 2021.

MEED reported in January that Mawani had signed an agreement with Medlog, the logistics arm of Geneva-headquartered Mediterranean Shipping Company, to establish the first-ever integrated logistics park and re-export zone at Dammam’s King Abdulaziz Port.

Last October, the kingdom announced plans to inaugurate 59 logistics zones to bolster supply chains.

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Eva Levesque

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