King Abdullah Port at Heart of 2 New East-West Shipping Routes
Leading international maritime shipping companies Maersk and MSC have chosen King Abdullah Port as a logistics station on the Red Sea for the two new shipping routes launched by both companies.
The choice confirms the importance of the port’s location as a link between the East and the West and its potential to play a prominent role in supporting the international shipping industry and trade exchange between the world’s continents.
The first shipping route, Maersk TP17 / MSC Americas, connects East Asia (China and Singapore) with the eastern coast of the United States and passes through King Abdullah Port. It is one of the fastest shipping routes linking the East and the West through the Red Sea.
The second shipping route, Maersk AE15 / MSC Tiger, which is also one of the fastest shipping routes, begins from East Asia (South Korea, China and Singapore) and passes through King Abdullah Port to reach the ports of Turkey and Greece, which are considered the southeastern gateway to Europe.
This confirms the transformation of King Abdullah Port – which became the second-largest container port in the Kingdom within five years of operation – into a major hub for global trade through the main shipping route between the East and the West.
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King Abdullah Port was built according to the latest specifications with state-of-the-art equipment, including the world’s deepest 18-m berths, which enable it to serve giant container ships.
In addition to its role in ensuring global shipping continuity due to its strategic location and access to a network of highways reaching main cities such as Jeddah, Yanbu, Holy Makkah, and Al Madinah, the port continues to operate at the local level.
Run by the Ports Development Company, King Abdullah Port is the first port in the region to be fully owned, developed and operated by the private sector.
It has been listed as the world’s fastest-growing container port and one of the 100 largest ports globally after less than four years of operation.
Further, 10 of the largest shipping lines work at the Port to offer integrated services to importers and exporters.
