Mawani, the Saudi Ports Authority, is dedicated to reducing container time at its ports to three days by 2020, even as it plans to more than double handling by 2030. This is part of the kingdom’s broader drive to generate efficiencies in the economy.

“What’s more, the share of Saudi ports handling transshipment containers will be increased, the production capacity within the terminals will be optimised, and new horizons will be opened for promising investment and commercial partnerships,” said Mawani president Saad bin Abdulaziz Al Khalb.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude exporter, is looking to diversify its economy by developing non-oil sectors as part of its Vision 2030 programme. Earlier this year, the government pledged to spend 100 billion riyals (€23.5 billion) in 2019 and 2020 as part of a massive industrial strategy aimed to wean the kingdom off oil, create 1.6 million jobs and attract as much as 1.6 trillion riyals in investment by 2030.