DP World and Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) inaugurated the new South Container Terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port developed at a total cost of 3 billion Saudi riyals ($800 million).

The expansion, backed by a 30-year Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) agreement, has more than doubled the capacity from 1.8 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 4 million TEUs while paving the way for a future capacity of 5 million TEUs with deployment of additional ship-to-shore equipment, DP World said in a press statement.

According to the statement, the terminal spans a total quay length of 2,150 metres, including a deep-water quay with an 18-metre depth, capable of accommodating up to five ultra-large container vessels simultaneously

Key elements include:

  • Smart systems that slash gate transaction times, from two minutes to just 10 seconds, supported by IoT-enabled cargo tracking and AI-powered cargo tallying for precise record keeping.
  • Automated and electrified yard cranes, along with an expanded fleet of quay cranes that will grow from 14 to 17 by the end of 2025, reaching 22 as the terminal scales up to 5 million TEUs. 
  • Capacity for refrigerated containers (reefers) has been expanded from 1,200 to 2,340
  • DP World is implementing initiatives to reduce CO₂ emissions at South Container Terminal by 50 percent in the next five years.

Ongoing projects include a state-of-the-art facility for inspecting up to 75 reefers at one time —the biggest such port-centric facility in the Kingdom.

The statement noted that the South Terminal project was completed over a period of three years.

Adjacent to the terminal, DP World is investing in the 415,000 square metre Jeddah Logistics Park, the largest integrated facility of its kind in the Kingdom, which will offer state-of-the-art warehousing, distribution and freight forwarding services.

(Writing by Marwa Abo Almajd; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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