The port of Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia, on March 1, 2022. (Credit: Fayez Nureldine/AFP)
As part of the Vision 2030 plan shaped by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s port strategy is now facing serious challenges in the Red Sea, which has become a battleground since the Houthis began targeting merchant vessels following the war in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Since 2024, Saudi Arabia’s main ports — King Abdullah and Jeddah — have seen a significant drop in traffic.Port reconfigurationKing Abdullah Port, inaugurated in 2014 to capture the Red Sea’s international transshipment market — where cargo is transferred from one vessel to another — saw traffic plunge 82.7 percent between 2023 and 2024, from nearly 3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to just over 500,000, according to Middle East Eye, at the height of Houthi militia attacks.Just a few kilometers south, Jeddah Port —...
As part of the Vision 2030 plan shaped by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s port strategy is now facing serious challenges in the Red Sea, which has become a battleground since the Houthis began targeting merchant vessels following the war in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Since 2024, Saudi Arabia’s main ports — King Abdullah and Jeddah — have seen a significant drop in traffic.Port reconfigurationKing Abdullah Port, inaugurated in 2014 to capture the Red Sea’s international transshipment market — where cargo is transferred from one vessel to another — saw traffic plunge 82.7 percent between 2023 and 2024, from nearly 3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to just over 500,000, according to Middle East Eye, at the height of Houthi militia attacks.Just a few kilometers south,...
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