Saudi Ports Authority, known as Mawani, has announced adding two new ports of call – Shanghai and Singapore – to the Gulf China Service as part of the move to increase the capacity of King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam.
GCS is a direct weekly service launched last year by Pacific International Lines to connect China with the Gulf area in the Middle East.
Mawani recently added seven new shipping line services to strengthen Saudi ports’ connectivity with ports around the world in line with the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030, it said in a press release.
Spread over a total area of 19 square kilometers with 43 berths, the Dammam port has a capacity to handle 105 million tons.
The port handled 32 million tons of cargo, with container volumes reaching a total of 1.7 million twenty-foot equivalent units in 2021. Earlier this month, Saudi Ports Authority signed a SR500 million ($133 million) deal with DP World to create a new fully integrated smart logistics park in Jeddah Islamic Port.