The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has agreed to partner with the Port of Rotterdam on smart ports, human capital development, knowledge transfer, and performance optimisation in support of the Kingdom’s economic diversification efforts aimed at creating a state-of-the-art investment and trade hub.
Omar Hariri, president of Mawani, and Boudewijn Siemons, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, inked the agreement at Jeddah Islamic Port.
According to Mawani, the agreement will strengthen cooperation between both entities in port corporatization, a widely used business model that involves outsourcing terminal operations to the private sector while keeping ownership and regulatory aspects in the hands of autonomous government bodies in order to improve efficiency and productivity while also upskilling the sector’s workforce across managerial and scientific disciplines.
In addition, the latest agreement, designed to integrate and leverage either party’s world-class capabilities, expertise, and competitive advantages, falls under Mawani’s broader strategy to drive sustainable progress, reliable operations, and purpose-driven innovation within the Kingdom’s maritime sector as part of the ambitions set by Saudi Vision 2030.
Previously, the national maritime regulator signed an agreement with Port of Antwerp International (PAI) to strengthen mutual cooperation in the areas of port optimisation, digital transformation, and capacity building, in order to strengthen corporate governance, organisational excellence, and sector-wide growth.
