Jeddah Islamic Port Cuts Cargo and Truck Waiting Times

The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has rolled out a wide package of operational upgrades at Jeddah Islamic Port aimed at cutting cargo and truck waiting times, easing congestion at the gates, and speeding up vessel turnaround. The improvements span physical infrastructure, automation, and customs clearance.

At the port gates, truck entry and exit capacity has been expanded to 18 operational lanes to better organize truck traffic and reduce queues. Alongside this, the South Container Terminal is being expanded under a SAR 3 billion investment that will raise capacity from 1.8 million to 4 million TEUs, with advanced automation designed to cut gate transaction time to about 10 seconds.

A further SAR 641 million has been invested in recent months on new ship-to-shore cranes, rubber-tyred gantry cranes, terminal trucks, additional cargo-handling units, and 200,000 square metres of extra terminal yard. Refrigerated cargo capacity has also grown, with reefer plugs increased to around 9,000 and larger cold storage facilities to speed up handling of temperature-controlled shipments.

Smart systems and faster clearance

Digital initiatives include automated stacking cranes running around the clock, estimated to reduce container dwell time in yards by about 40%, and AI-driven berth allocation that provides berth windows in advance and cuts average vessel waiting time at anchorage by roughly 18 hours. A port community system now links customs, shipping lines, forwarders, and terminal operators to streamline documentation.

On the customs side, integrated pre-arrival clearance lets compliant importers submit documents up to 96 hours before a vessel arrives, allowing low-risk "green-lane" cargo to move directly from ship to release. Joint arrangements between Mawani and the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) aim to make clearance faster and more predictable.

For residents and businesses, the upgrades mean quicker delivery of imported goods, smoother trucking, and more reliable supply chains through one of the Kingdom's busiest trade gateways.

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