MAWANI boosts Saudi Arabia’s bid to become global logistics hub

MAWANI boosts Saudi Arabia’s bid to become global logistics hub

RIYADH — The Saudi Ports Authority (MAWANI) has been instrumental in strengthening Saudi Arabia’s maritime sector in 2021, helping the nation make its mark on the global shipping and freight landscape. 2021 represented a banner year in the Kingdom’s drive to become a global logistics hub that connects three continents. Thanks to the Authority’s relentless efforts to meet its ambitious goals for the sector, the Kingdom ranked 16th in the 2021 edition of Lloyd’s List One Hundred Ports in terms of volume handled. Three of the country’s prominent ports featured in the annual rankings, namely the Jeddah Islamic Port (37th position), King Abdullah Port (84th position), and King Abdulaziz Port (93rd position). As a testament to the stature and competitive appeal of Saudi ports, the Kingdom was declared the world’s fifth-fastest country in container ship handling by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) annual index report for 2020, thus marking the country’s first-ever entry in the world’s top 10 seaports list. The Kingdom also moved up on the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index during Q3 2021 to lead the region with 70.68 points. In parallel with the launch of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, MAWANI announced its