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Saudi Ports Authority Signs $53 Million Deal to Establish Logistics Zone at Dammam Port

Saudi Ports Authority Signs $53 Million Deal to Establish Logistics Zone at Dammam Port

Asharq Al-Awsat29-04-2025

Saudi Arabia's Ports Authority (Mawani) signed an agreement with Sultan Logistics to develop a new logistics zone at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, in the eastern region of the Kingdom. The investment is valued at SAR 200 million ($53.3 million) and will cover a total area of 197,000 square meters.
The contract was signed by Mawani's Acting President Mazen bin Ahmed Al-Turki and Sultan Logistics Chairman Ali Sultan Al-Qahtani in the presence of several officials.
The new zone will include 35,000 square meters of warehousing space, administrative offices, and a designated yard for storing and maintaining both dry and refrigerated containers. It will also feature a re-export area, aiming to boost the port's operational efficiency and the quality of logistics services provided.
The project is part of Mawani's broader initiatives aligned with the goals of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, which aims to develop logistics zones both inside and outside the Kingdom's ports. These efforts support Saudi Arabia's ambition to become a global logistics hub and to offer high-efficiency services in line with the nation's Vision 2030 development roadmap.
The logistics zone at King Abdulaziz Port is expected to boost the port's competitiveness by offering specialized logistics services, increasing the private sector's contribution to economic development, and furthering economic diversification.
The year 2024 has already seen the launch or groundbreaking of eight logistics zones and centers across the Kingdom, with a total private sector investment of approximately SAR 2.9 billion ($773 million). These zones are part of a broader logistics infrastructure development plan involving over SAR 10 billion ($2.66 billion) in investments across 20 logistics zones overseen by Mawani.
Among the key milestones was the opening of Maersk's largest global logistics investment at Jeddah Islamic Port—an expansive facility worth SAR 1.3 billion ($346.5 million) covering 225,000 square meters.

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