Timelapse Shows New Mega Port at World's Biggest Construction Site
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The port at Neom, the world's largest construction site, is edging toward operational status with a pilot of a new intermodal corridor that significantly shortens Red Sea trade routes, according to the Oxagon industrial hub company.
Newsweek has contacted Neom and the Saudi government for comment.
Why It Matters
The pilot underscores Saudi Arabia's push to accelerate progress on Neom's key components amid growing scrutiny over delays and cost overruns. The port is central to the kingdom's Vision 2030 plans to transform itself into a global logistics hub and reduce its reliance on oil.
This satellite image, captured in October 2024, shows construction progress at the Port of Neom within Oxagon city's infrastructure.
This satellite image, captured in October 2024, shows construction progress at the Port of Neom within Oxagon city's infrastructure.
Google Earth Pro
What To Know
Oxagon announced its first trial shipment from Egypt to Iraq via the Port of Neom, which seeks to reduce transit times and logistics costs.
The new port city has a strategic location in one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes connecting Asia, Africa and Europe.
"This pilot cut down transit time from Egypt by over 50 percent," the company said in a statement this week. It opens doors for worldwide trade into Iraq via the Port of Neom, it continued.
Cargo ships typically pass through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea, navigate Bab el-Mandeb, cross the Gulf of Aden and Strait of Hormuz, and enter the Persian Gulf—docking at Iraqi ports, such as Umm Qasr, before inland road transport to Baghdad or Erbil.
The new port is an upgrade of the existing Duba Port, of which management was transferred to Neom in 2022.
What People Are Saying
Sean Kelly, the managing director of the Port of Neom, said in video released by Oxagon: "The port is catalyst for overall economic development for the northwest of the kingdom and for the broader region. The intermodal corridor opening up this historical trade lane is a primary initiative in this effort."
Mousa Albargi, Saudi Arabia's deputy minister of logistics and services, said in the video: "Our logistics corridor is not only connecting Saudi importers and exporters, it is serving key destinations and origins in Africa, the Middle East and even beyond to the center of Asia."
Nadhmi al-Nasr, the former Neom CEO, said in 2023: "The Port of NEOM will be pivotal to the continued commercial competitiveness, economic diversification and maritime trade ambitions of the Kingdom. Our vision is to build one of the world's most technologically advanced, efficient and sustainable ports with the first fully integrated and automated supply chain and logistics network, and this first phase of development is a step towards realizing that."
What Happens Next
Neom seeks to launch the port's first terminal by 2026.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
8 hours ago
- Washington Post
Darwin Nunez leaves Premier League champion Liverpool for Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal
The Saudi Arabian soccer league has secured its latest marquee signing after Darwin Nunez completed a move from Liverpool to Al-Hilal on Saturday. The Uruguay international cost a reported 46.3 million pounds ($62 million) and has signed a three-year contract. Al-Hilal — Saudi Arabia's most successful team — has been searching for another star signing after releasing Brazil great Neymar in January. Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes rejected a move before the Club World Cup in June and there was also reported interest in former Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
San Francisco Chronicle
9 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Darwin Nunez leaves Premier League champion Liverpool for Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal
The Saudi Arabian soccer league has secured its latest marquee signing after Darwin Nunez completed a move from Liverpool to Al-Hilal on Saturday. The Uruguay international cost a reported 46.3 million pounds ($62 million) and has signed a three-year contract. Al-Hilal — Saudi Arabia's most successful team — has been searching for another star signing after releasing Brazil great Neymar in January. Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes rejected a move before the Club World Cup in June and there was also reported interest in former Napoli striker Victor Osimhen. Nunez leaves Liverpool after a mixed time in the Premier League, where he produced some spectacular moments but could not establish himself as the Merseyside club's first-choice center forward. He scored 40 goals in 143 games and won the Premier League title last season. But he made only one league start from the turn of the year and scored just seven goals in 47 total appearances last term. In a summer when Liverpool has reinforced its attack with the signings of Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, along with reported interest in Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, Nunez's position had been in doubt. He follows a slew of players who have left Europe's top leagues for Saudi Arabia since Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Al Nassr in 2022. Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez are some of the high-profile names to make the switch as Saudi Arabia has mounted an ambitious recruitment drive to establish itself as a major player in global soccer. Al-Hilal, which produced one of the biggest upsets at the Club World Cup by eliminating Manchester City, already has a host of marquee players including Kalidou Koulibaly, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Joao Cancelo and Alesandar Mitrovic. It is also coached by two-time Champions League runner up Simone Inzaghi. It has won a record 19 Saudi league titles as well as four Asian championship, but was beaten to the title by Al-Ittihad last season. ___
Axios
10 hours ago
- Axios
Gold plaque, Olympic medals and a jet: Here are the gifts Trump has accepted
Donald Trump received a glass disc with a 24-karat gold base from Apple CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday, as the tech titan announced a $100 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing facilities. Why it matters: The gold bauble is the latest lavish gift presented to Trump in an attempt to curry favor with the president this year, raising both ethical and legal concerns. What they're saying:"Elected leaders and business titans from around the world are traveling to the Oval Office to make historic investments into America because of President Trump's bold vision," White House Spokesman Davis Ingle told Axios in an emailed statement. "Often these leaders are eager to share gifts highlighting the exciting work they are doing," the statement continued. Catch up quick: The president accepted a $400 million jet from the Qatari royal family earlier this year that would be worth over 100 times more than any other gift accepted by a president from a foreign nation combined since 2001, according to an Axios review of State Department data. Trump also received a full set of 1984 Olympic medals earlier this week, as he will preside over the games in Los Angeles in 2028. Zoom out: Trump has outfitted the Oval Office in many shiny gold accents this year, in ways that critics consider reminiscent of a monarchy, and in contrast to America's founding principles. The president has added two side tables supported by golden eagles, "Trump 47" gold coasters and adorned the marble fireplace with gold ornaments, amongst other things, according to a review by NPR. What other gifts has the president received? The president and the first family failed to report at least 117 foreign gifts worth roughly $291,000 during his first term in office, according to a 2023 report by the then Democrat-led House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. In that review, the Department of State indicated that the Trump administration "did not prioritize" reporting gift records to the department, causing the agency to publish an incomplete listing of gifts that did not include any foreign gifts received by President Trump. Flashback: The report found that the family accepted a Saudi dagger worth up to $24,000, two sword sets with a total value of $8,800 and multiple winter coats, one of which is valued at up to $3,000. The former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, gifted Trump multiple gold golf clubs in an attempt to create a "special relationship," including one worth an estimated $3,755. The National Archives and Records Administration has no record of the clubs and does not have them in its custody. The president did disclose the acceptance of an Ultimate Fighting Championship belt, a bronze statue depicting the flag raising over Iwo Jima, and customized golf accessories amongst other things in his final financial disclosure reports in 2021. What laws prohibit the president from accepting gifts from foreign leaders? The Foreign Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits anyone holding office from accepting any "present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State." The Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act blocks the president and federal officials from keeping personal gifts worth more than "minimal value," which is currently equivalent to $480.
