<p data-path-to-node="4" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="4" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">JEDDAH</b><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> — The Saudi Maritime &amp; Logistics Congress concluded at the Jeddah Superdome,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> serving as a high-profile showcase of the Kingdom's accelerating transformation into an integrated,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> tri-continental logistics nexus connecting Europe,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Asia,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> and Africa.</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Drawing over 34,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">000 registrants,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> global maritime operators,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> port developers,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> and institutional investors from more than 90 countries,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> the event underscored Saudi Arabia’s expanding commercial weight and foreign investment inflow under the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS) and Vision 2030.</span></p><p data-path-to-node="5" id="p-rc_a5258388f021643b-135" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-818 citation-end-818" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Against a backdrop of persistent volatility along regional maritime passages, international delegates examined how the Kingdom is converting its dual-coast maritime geography—flanked by the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf—into resilient supply-chain infrastructure capable of sustaining uninterrupted global cargo flows.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c2563806301="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c2563806301="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="1" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c117407407="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <!----><source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c117407407="" _nghost-ng-c230154732="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><h4 data-path-to-node="6" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b>Expanding Throughput and Network Connectivity</b></h4><p data-path-to-node="7" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Opening ministerial addresses highlighted substantial quantitative gains across the Kingdom's maritime framework.</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Saudi ports have added more than 33 direct liner shipping services,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> boosting maritime connectivity and processing over 5.</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) by the end of August.</span></p><p data-path-to-node="8" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Through the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani),</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> the Kingdom is systematically moving beyond traditional quayside stevedoring toward fully integrated industrial and logistics hubs.</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Ports such as Jeddah Islamic Port on the Red Sea and King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam are being integrated directly with inland dry ports,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> special integrated logistics zones (SILZ),</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> and national rail networks,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> eliminating modal friction and expediting transit cargo destined for Gulf and Middle Eastern consumer markets.</span></p><h4 data-path-to-node="9" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b>Foreign Capital and Private Sector Participation</b></h4><p data-path-to-node="10" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">A major theme throughout the congress was the accelerating surge of foreign direct investment (FDI) entering Saudi Arabia's maritime and logistics ecosystem:</span></p><ul data-path-to-node="11" style="padding-inline-start: 32px; font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="11,0,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="11,0,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Concessions:</b><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Long-term build-operate-transfer agreements signed with international terminal giants—including DP World,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> CMA CGM,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> and Maersk’s APM Terminals—are actively driving billions of dollars into berth automation,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> high-capacity ship-to-shore gantry cranes,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> and automated container handling.</span></p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="11,1,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="11,1,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Special Economic Zones (SEZs):</b><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> The rollout of dedicated logistics zones offering competitive tax frameworks,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> full foreign equity ownership,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> and bonded customs corridors is drawing multinational freight forwarders,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> third-party logistics (3PL) providers,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> and assembly distributors to establish regional headquarters.</span></p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="11,2,0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="11,2,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Corridor Resilience:</b><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Ongoing evaluations surrounding the strategic expansion of the Kingdom's East-West pipeline corridor and complementary rail land bridges were highlighted as alternative logistics valves to bypass chokepoints and ensure continuity of energy and containerized cargo.</span></p></li></ul><h4 data-path-to-node="12" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b>Decarbonization and Digitalization Agendas</b></h4><p data-path-to-node="13" id="p-rc_a5258388f021643b-136" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-817 citation-end-817" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">The congress also featured targeted sessions on advancing smart port automation and sustainable shipping practices.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c2563806301="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c2563806301="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="2" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Discussions detailed cross-industry collaborations between the Kingdom's national shipping carrier,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Bahri,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> and regional academic institutions,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> alongside the commercial deployment of artificial intelligence in vessel scheduling,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> gate automation,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> and predictive berth utilization.</span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c117407407="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <!----><source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c117407407="" _nghost-ng-c230154732="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="14" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">On the environmental front,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> working groups reviewed trials in biofuel bunkering,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> hybrid propulsion,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> and low-flashpoint marine fuels,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> laying the regulatory groundwork for future green corridors across the Red Sea.</span></p><p data-path-to-node="15" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">By aligning multi-billion-dollar infrastructure outlays with modern regulatory frameworks,</span><span style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> the congress highlighted how Saudi Arabia is cementing its position as a trusted global transport nexus and an indispensable anchor for cross-border maritime investment.</span></p>