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On October 7th, the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) and DP World Jeddah laid the foundation stone for the expansion and modernisation of the South Container Terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port. The revamp of the facility is part of Saudi Arabia’s strategy to develop port infrastructure to unlock the Kingdom’s maritime logistics and transportation potential.
The development of the South Container Terminal is part of the new concession agreement Mawani signed with DP World Jeddah in April 2020 to continue operating and managing the facility for the next 30 years. The company has committed to a total investment of US $800 million to modernise the terminal.
The overhaul project, which will take place over four phases and is set to be completed by 2024, will see various infrastructure upgrades, including the increase of the terminal’s draft depth and quay length and investment in advanced handling equipment and technologies. When complete, the revamped terminal will double Jeddah Islamic Port’s container handling capacity from 2.4 million TEU to 4 million TEU by 2024 and help consolidate Jeddah’s standing as a major trade and logistics centre on the Red Sea coast.
Mohammad Alshaikh, CEO DP World Jeddah and Country Head KSA, said: “Our strategy is to modernise the facility, expand its capacity and diversify the range of smart logistics services on offer at the South Container Terminal. This will help in improving the quality of the service for our current customers and assist our efforts towards attracting new business to the port.”
The development plans include extending the length of the quay from 1500m to 2150m and deepening the draft to 18m, which will enable the terminal to service five vessels simultaneously and handle the largest container vessels in operation today up to 26,000 TEU size. Modernisation of the terminal yard surface, enhancements to the lighting and a complete upgrade to the utilities on site are also planned.
A total of 15 new ship-to-shore gantry cranes and 60 new electrically powered Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes will be added to the container yard in batches starting in 2022. The RTG cranes will be controlled from a new state-of-the-art remote-control room by Saudi operators, as part of DP World Jeddah’s focus on developing local talent.
