Maersk will expand its ME4 Westbound service that connects the Middle East with Europe, by adding a call to King Abdullah Port in Saudi Arabia from 13 March 2022.
With this port call addition, the Danish shipping company aims to bring the ocean service closer to its 100,000 m2 integrated and non-bonded warehouse located at King Abdullah Port, which is projected to primarily benefit Saudi Arabia’s petrochemical exporters, as they will get easy access to ME4 for their exports to the western markets, such as Mediterranean, North Africa and Latin America.
“We want to bring ocean services closer to our customers to connect and simplify their supply chains while integrating their logistics,” said Mohammad Shihab, managing director of Maersk Saudi Arabia.
Jay New, CEO of King Abdullah Port, said that the port’s inclusion in Maersk ME4 provides its customers, especially those in the petrochemical industry, with access to more destinations across Europe and Latin America, in addition to multiple advantages “such as reduced inventory in transit, improved working capital, and improvements of almost 50% in sailing time.”
New added that “the service not only strengthens the integrated logistics of the Maersk Hub but also enhances the port’s connectivity with key global ports and markets.”
The ME4 Eastbound service will continue calling Jeddah Islamic Port, and the deployed capacity will remain unchanged, according to the Danish ocean carrier.
