The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani Authority) stated in a press release that granting these permits is in line with their objective of establishing high-quality and efficient port operations in the Kingdom.

Permits have been granted for a number of activities, including pilotage, maritime support, marine traffic signals, ship repair, and routine maintenance, according to Mawani.

The statement also stated that licenses were granted for the provision of port storage and container handling services, as well as maritime consulting.

The granting of these additional permits is a component of Mawani’s larger plan to establish Saudi Arabia by the end of this decade as a major hub for global logistics.

The sector’s share of the Kingdom’s GDP should rise from the current 6% to 10%, according to Saudi Arabia’s National Transport and Logistics Strategy, by 2030.

Mawani also disclosed in the statement that extra licenses were granted for ship bunkering in terminals, waste recycling, ship waste management, hydrographic surveying, and port work training.

The King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu has new ship anchorage areas, according to an announcement made by the authority in January 2024.

Mawani said in a statement that newly created ship docking zones will aid in modernising a number of port logistical services, such as supplying ships with fuel and supplies.

The body also mentioned that the terminal’s operational performance indicators will rise and ship docking times will decrease as a result of these new anchorage zones.

In the UN Conference on Trade and Development’s Liner Shipping Connectivity Index for the fourth quarter of 2023, Mawani received 79.01 points in December 2023, up from 77.66 points awarded in the preceding three months.

According to the World Bank, the Kingdom moved up 17 spots to take 38th place out of 160 countries in the Logistics Performance Index.

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