The Saudi Ports Authority (MAWANI) launched an initiative Monday to support international shipping lines stranded at the south end of the Suez Canal on the Red Sea coast, extending the services of the Kingdom’s Jeddah Islamic Port for ship transfers and container offloading, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“Contributing to the support of the global logistics sector and maritime trade, measures include an extended period of exemption from storage fees for transshipment containers - from 30 days to 60 days - for a duration of 3 months,” SPA said.Salvage teams on Monday set free a colossal container ship that has halted global trade through the Suez Canal, a canal services firm said, bringing an end to a crisis that for nearly a week clogged one of the world’s most vital maritime arteries.SPA reported that the initiative underscores Saudi Arabia’s “commitment to mitigating the impact on global supply chains, in addition to affirming Saudi ports’ readiness to adapt to shifts in the international transport market and the associated challenges.”Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Islamic Port ranks first among the Red Sea ports, with a capacity of 130 million tons across 62 berths. SPA said the port has the capacity to accommodate the estimated number of containers on these vessels without affecting the port’s operations.Saudi Customs foiled an attempt to smuggle over 1.3 million Captagon pills that were found hidden inside a shipment from Turkey, which was received by customs at Jeddah Islamic Seaport, SPA reported on Monday.Read more:Ever Given ship refloated, Suez Canal traffic resumes: OfficialSaudi Customs foils smuggling attempt of over 1.3 mln Captagon pills from TurkeyShip blocking Suez Canal partially refloated, being secured for next steps
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia launches initiative to support shipping lines amid Suez blockage
