Jeddah Port's Operations Grow as Maersk Introduces AE7 and AE12 Services

Saudi Arabia: Mawani, the Saudi Ports Authority, recently revealed that it has incorporated A. P. Moller - Maersk's AE12 and AE7 shipping services into Jeddah Islamic Port. Maersk, the global leader in logistics and shipping, has officially announced that its vessels AE7 and AE12 have made their first calls at Jeddah on June 8th and June 2nd respectively.

These additional high-capacity services are aligned with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS) which aims to enhance connectivity with global shipping markets as part of the Saudi government's initiatives.

Maersk's AE7 services, comprising of 12 vessels with a capacity of 18,000 TEUs, includes port calls at Ningbo-Zhoushan, Shanghai, Nansha, Yantian, Tanjung Pelepas, Colombo, Tangier, Hamburg, Antwerp, Le Havre, Felixstowe, London Gateway, Salalah, Khalifa, and Jebel Ali. Meanwhile, the AE12 service connects Jeddah to 13 global hubs across Southern Europe, Africa, and East Asia, operating a fleet of 12 ships with a capacity of 15,000-TEU. The expansion of Mawani's global maritime network highlights their commitment to enhancing strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations such as Maersk and Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) to advance the nation's position in international indices such as the UNCTAD's Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI). This initiative strengthens Jeddah's role as a critical logistics hub.

Maersk and Mawani announced the establishment of an eco-friendly logistics park at Jeddah Islamic Port earlier this year. The project will cover a vast expanse of 225,000 square meters, positioning the port to offer diverse supply-chain solutions and improving logistic services. Estimated to incur a greenfield investment of $346m, the project will prioritize decarbonizing logistics by relying on renewable energy to power the facility. The Integrated Logistics Park will be entirely solar powered, utilizing solar panels installed on the rooftop. Additionally, transportation trucks within the park will run on fully electric fuel.

The conception of the project aims to create the biggest logistics park in Saudi Arabia. To position Jeddah Islamic Port as a premier destination for trade and economic growth, expanded shipping services have been added. In 2019, the local subsidiary of Maersk received a license from the Saudi Ports Authority to operate in all ports of Saudi Arabia. This service expansion has enabled Maersk to increase the frequency of its port calls, from weekly containerized shipping services to the ports of Jeddah, King Abdullah, Dammam and Jubail.

Maersk, the shipping firm, has proudly declared that it has managed to acquire green Methanol for the inaugural journey of the world's first container vessel powered by Methanol. The ship will travel from Ulsan, South Korea to Copenhagen, Denmark, utilizing environmentally friendly bio-Methanol as fuel. In preparation for receiving a new fleet of large ocean-going Methanol-enabled ships in 2024, Maersk aims to transport at least 25% of its ocean cargo using green fuels by 2030.