Shipping Arabia, September 19, 2026 – Saudi Arabia has invested more than SAR 5.5 billion ($1.46 billion) in its ports during the regional disruption, as Jeddah Islamic Port and the Kingdom’s western coast absorb sharply higher vessel, truck and cargo volumes and take on a wider role in regional supply chains.
Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) President Suliman bin Khalid Al-Mazroua said Jeddah and the western coast had developed into a major logistics platform serving Saudi Arabia and Gulf markets during the disruption.
Truck traffic at Jeddah Islamic Port has risen from around 2,000–2,500 vehicles per day to more than 10,000, alongside increased vessel activity. More than 34 shipping services operated by major global carriers, including Maersk and MSC, now call at the port.
Mawani has implemented 16 operational initiatives with government and customs authorities to increase the port’s readiness, while more than SAR 640 million has been invested in Jeddah over the past three months to strengthen its capacity to receive and handle containers moving by both sea and land.
Al-Mazroua said the western coast is increasingly operating as an integrated port network. Yanbu supports food-security cargo flows, King Abdullah Port contributes additional container and logistics capacity, while NEOM Port supports traffic arriving from Egypt, expanding the ability of Saudi ports to respond to changing regional trade patterns.
Transshipment activity has also increased, with volumes exceeding 370,000 containers over five months, while general and bulk cargo surpassed one million units. Mawani expects volumes to rise further by the end of the year as demand for port and logistics services continues to grow.
The next phase will include further port investment alongside the development of special economic zones and logistics zones across Saudi Arabia’s eastern and western ports, strengthening the Kingdom’s maritime and logistics infrastructure and its role in regional supply chains.
Source: Argaam
