UK Ports and Maritime Sector Trade Mission to Saudi Arabia

The Department for Int’l Trade (DIT) in London, in cooperation with our Diplomatic Posts in Saudi Arabia, is pleased to announce the visit of a Ports & Maritime Trade Mission to Saudi Arabia from 12 to 15 February 2023. Companies interested to join this DIT-led Trade Mission are requested to register their interest via email by Tuesday 17 January 2023. DIT will charge a £500 OMIS charge per company, plus VAT. This will cover the costs of Receptions, networking events and coach transport between appointments. A draft programme for the Trade Mission is given below.

Saudi Arabia has 13 Ports located on the Red Sea and on the Arabian Gulf. All these Ports serve as gateways for 13% of world trade, and provide access for up to 70% of Saudi Arabia’s total imports, and 95% exports. A National Transport & Logistics strategy, one of the key strategies of Saudi Vision 2030, was announced last year and plans to invest and expand all Ports and Marine services in Saudi Arabia. The main objective of the strategy is to turn Saudi Arabia into a hub for logistics services and the transport of people and goods. The result, according to the Saudi government's plan, will be a 4% increase in the sector's contribution to national GDP, from 6% to 10%, and will place Saudi Arabia among the top 35 countries in the cross-border trade index. This new strategy will increase destinations to more than 250 centres.

Saudi Arabia is also targeting an annual container capacity of more than 40 million containers, including associated value- chain investments by developing port infrastructure, enhancing integration with logistics zones, expanding connectivity with international shipping routes, and integrating with rail and road networks. The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) is driving efforts to raise seaport activity in the country, and recorded progress on a series of investments during 2022. In October, the authority signed an agreement with Danish shipping company Maersk to establish an integrated logistics park worth USD133M at the Jeddah Islamic Port (JIP). Mawani also started work, along with Dubai-backed DP World’s Jeddah, on the expansion and modernization of the South Container Terminal at JIP. The Port’s container-handling capacity will increase from 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 4 million TEUs when the project is completed in 2024.

See the full agenda here.