The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) in cooperation with National Center for Privatization & PPP (NCP) has announced the launch of an Expression of Interest (EOI) for marine services project for eight major commercial and industrial Saudi ports.
The long-term agreements will be awarded to experienced private sector companies through a competitive procurement process, in accordance with the Private Sector Participation (PSP) Law.
The ports in which the two organizations are focusing include Jeddah Islamic Port, King Abdulaziz Port, Yanbu Commerical Port, and King Fadah Industrial Port in Yanbu.
During the launch ceremony, MAWANI signed agreements with Saudi Telecom Co., Ericsson, Huawei, the Saudi Global Ports Co., the Red Sea Gateway Terminal Co., and DP World.
The agreements will include basic marine services such as anchorage, pilotage, towage, berthing and unberthing, and mooring, as well as additional services such as pollution control, firefighting, etc.
Interested local and international private sector companies can download the EoI document from the NCP website www.ncp.gov.sa. The final date to submit the EOIs is April 07, 2022, by 03:00 pm (KSA time). Following the EOI phase, the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) will be issued to all EoI respondents.
“Marine services are instrumental in establishing world-class ports sector practices and attracting best-in-class specialized partners, furthering Mawani’s contribution to positioning the Kingdom as a global logistics hub in line with the National Transport and Logistics strategy under Saudi Vision 2030,” the port authority said this in a statement.
Through these agreements, the authority aims to make Saudi ports a pioneer in applying modern technologies and enhancing their competitiveness at the regional and international levels.
All parties involved in these agreements will cooperate in accelerating and implementing 5G technology in port operations.
Under these deals, the firms will also provide technologies like cloud computing services development, cybersecurity, application services and platforms.
The initiative will contribute to ensuring marine environment health through the adoption of clean and renewable energy.
The new strategy also seeks to improve the capabilities of the air cargo sector by doubling its capacity to more than 4.5 million tonnes.
Saudi Arabia expects its new transport and logistics strategy to generate SR550 billion ($150 billion) in investments by 2030 in areas such as public transport, railways, and airports expansion and development.
“Today, Saudi ports are entering a crucial stage of transforming into automated smart ports by adopting the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution with their advanced applications,” said Omar bin Talal Hariri, president of the ports authority.
MAWANI also recently signed a long-term deal with Bahri to build and operate an integrated logistics park at the Jeddah Islamic Port.
Once the construction is completed, Bahri has agreed to manage operations at the park for 20 years.
The space will provide storage and handling services for all types of inbound and outbound shipping containers owned by the shipping line and other entities.
MAWANI also aims to drive up the contributions of the private sector to the development of ports in the Kingdom to 90 percent by 2030.
