RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s maritime sector is witnessing significant growth, with the King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam achieving its highest monthly throughput in January, handling 215,179 twenty-foot equivalent units. The facility has surpassed its previous record, set in July 2023 when it processed 211,202 TEUs, the Saudi Press Agency reported. This underscores the port’s pivotal role in advancing the maritime sector, enhancing logistics services, supporting national imports and exports, and contributing to raising the Kingdom’s rank in international standings. It also signifies the success of development projects and their anticipated impact on increasing container throughput, enhancing the port’s competitive capacity, and expanding communication channels with international ports. Furthermore, these achievements align with the Saudi Ports Authority’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the Kingdom’s leadership in the maritime sector, maximize its capabilities, and enhance its economic and developmental role. This is in line with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy. Additionally, these advancements are the outcome of initiatives spearheaded by the authority, also known as Mawani, in collaboration with the strategic partner Saudi Global Ports and various other partners, including national and international operating companies at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam. The goal is to transform it into a leading harbor with long-term sustainability objectives, emphasizing automation, digitization, and an integrated supply chain. In October, it was announced that the facility is set to receive a fully integrated logistics park worth SR1 billion ($266 million). Mawani signed a contract agreement with Saudi Global Ports to construct the park spanning 1 million sq. meters, as reported by SPA at the time. According to Mawani President Omar Hariri, the deal falls within the authority’s efforts to expand the number of logistics parks within Saudi ports to 12. The expansion is expected to propel the Kingdom’s position in the global logistics services performance index, moving from 38th to 10th place, he stated. In alignment with the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services and Vision 2030, the announced development aimed to bolster the logistics sector’s role in supporting the national economy, reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s status as a global logistics hub connecting three continents.