RIYADH — The Saudi Ports Authority (MAWANI) announced Monday an initiative to support international shipping lines stranded at the south end of the Suez Canal on the Red Sea coast, extending the services of Jeddah Islamic Port for ship transfers and container offloading.

Contributing to the support of the global logistics sector and maritime trade, measures include an extended period of exemption from storage fees for transshipment containers — from 30 days to 60 days — for a duration of 3 months as of 27/3/2021.

The initiative underscores Saudi Arabia's commitment to mitigating the impact on global supply chains, in addition to affirming Saudi ports' readiness to adapt to shifts in the international transport market and the associated challenges.

The support also reasserts the advanced capabilities of Jeddah Islamic Port and its capacity to accommodate the estimated number of containers on these vessels without affecting the port's operations.

Located on the commercial maritime artery that connects the Far East, Europe and the Horn of Africa, Jeddah Islamic Port ranks first among the Red Sea ports, with a capacity of 130 million tons across 62 berths equipped with the latest technologies and to international specifications. — SPA