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The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has signed two contracts, with PC Marine Services and Modern Building Leaders (MBL), the latter in a consortium with HutaHegerfeld Saudia, to deepen access and build new berths at Jeddah Islamic Port. These contracts are reported to be worth a total of SAR642 million (US$ 170.82 million).
The contract with MBL, in association with Huta Hegerfeld Saudia, includes deepening approach channels, turning basins, waterways and the South Terminal basin. These upgrades will allow the port to handle large container vessels up to 24,000 TEU capacity, enhancing Jeddah’s competitive position and enabling it to attract additional shipping lines to the port.
PC Marine Services will build 1100m of new multipurpose berths, with a 16m draft alongside, primarily to receive large bulk grain carriers. The ability to accommodate larger vessels will help to meet local market demand, secure the Kingdom’s strategic grain reserves through higher imports and boost overall food security through Jeddah Islamic Port, Mawani states.
Meanwhile traffic volumes at Saudi ports continue to recover post-pandemic. This September Mawani ports recorded an increase in container throughput of more than 9%, to 657,420TEU, with growth in imports, exports and transhipment activity.
Overall cargo throughput in September this year was up 3.2% compared to September 2021, at 25.68 million tons. Mawani ports handled 873,986 tons of general cargo, which represented a 65% increase over the same month of last year, while dry bulk cargo increased by 23% to reach 4.61 million tons. However liquid bulk traffic decreased by 4.4%, falling to 13.39 million tons in September 2022.
