RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s ports sector has added yet another trade link from a leading shipping line, with the Kingdom’s Jubail Commercial Port linking with Turkey, the Indian Subcontinent, Africa, and the Middle East, announced the Saudi Ports Authority, also known as Mawani. To be operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Co., the new service will connect Jubail Port with 11 global ports via weekly sailings to Middle Eastern ports Khalifa, Jebel Ali, Hamad, Karachi, Mundra, Hazira, Alexandria, Tekirdag, Aliaga, Mersin, and King Abdullah. The service will operate five vessels with an average carrying capacity of 8,000 twenty-five equivalent units. The latest route will position Jubail Port as a competitive hub and uncover a host of value-added opportunities for importers and exporters aligned with the objectives of the Kingdom’s National Transport and Logistics Strategy, according to a press release. Jubail Commercial Port operates as a gateway to local industries to export their products to global markets bolstering Saudi foreign trade and economic growth. Saudi Arabia’s ports sector is set to welcome other trade links from leading shipping lines that are choosing the Kingdom as a vital port thanks to its strategic location at the crossroads of three continents, Mawani added. Last week, Mawani and MSC’s MEDLOG also signed an agreement to establish the first-ever integrated logistics park and re-export zone at King Abdulaziz Port with an investment exceeding $26 million. Also last week, another shipping service connecting India to East Med commenced linking Qatar’s Hamad port with other global ports including Jubail Commercial Port. Over the last two years, Mawani had struck significant partnerships worth over $500 million with national and international giants to establish six modern logistics parks that could create more than 6,000 direct and indirect job opportunities. Mawani was established in 1976 to transform Saudi ports into investment platforms and facilitate the Kingdom’s trade with the rest of the world. The Authority seeks an effective regulatory and commercial environment supported by an operating model that enables growth and innovation in the Kingdom"s maritime industry.