Maersk announced its ME4 Westbound service (Middle-East to Europe) is to call at King Abdullah Port.
Effective 13th March 2022, Maersk aims to serve its customers better by bringing an ocean service closer to its warehouse located at King Abdullah Port.
The Maersk Integrated Logistics Hub is a non-bonded warehouse providing a integrated logistics offering, primarily for Saudi Arabia’s petrochemical exporters.
With the ME4 service calling King Abdullah Port, exporters using the warehouse will get easy access to ocean service for their exports to the western markets.
ME4 Westbound service calling King Abdullah Port will ensure Saudi Arabian petrochemical exporters getting access to more options to move their cargo to the Mediterranean, North African and Latin American markets.
The ME4 Eastbound service (Europe to Middle-East) will continue calling at Jeddah Islamic Port, and the deployed capacity will remain unchanged.
Mohammad Shihab, Managing Director, Maersk Saudi Arabia, said: “When we set up the Integrated Logistics Hub at King Abdullah Port, our ambition was to get closer to our customers by providing a warehousing facility near the manufacturing hubs. As a natural next step, we want to bring ocean services closer to our customers to connect and simplify their supply chains while integrating their logistics.”
Jay New, CEO of King Abdullah Port, added: “King Abdullah Port’s inclusion in Maersk ME4 provides our customers, especially those in the petrochemical industry, with access to more destinations across Europe and Latin America, in addition to multiple advantages such as reduced inventory in transit, improved working capital, and improvements of almost 50 per cent in sailing time.
“The service not only strengthens the integrated logistics of the Maersk Hub but also enhances the port’s connectivity with key global ports and markets.” Earlier this week the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) recorded a rise in general cargo volumes during February 2022, logging in excess of 24.4 million tons at a year-on-year growth rate of 17.5 per cent.
