New Red Sea Shipping Route Connects Saudi Arabia, Egypt & Jordan

The Saudi Ports Authority, known as Mawani, has launched the Red Sea Express container shipping service linking King Fahd Industrial Port with Ain Sokhna Port and Aqaba Port.

The new direct shipping route was launched in partnership with Folk Maritime and SABIC, with a carrying capacity of up to 1,100 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

According to Mawani, the service is intended to speed cargo handling, reduce waiting times, lower transportation costs, and improve supply chain efficiency at Yanbu.

The authority also stated that the route is expected to support non-oil exports, attract investment, and strengthen the role of ports within regional trade networks.

Mawani said the launch forms part of wider efforts to expand shipping connections with regional and international markets under National Transport and Logistics Strategy, which targets annual port container throughput of 40 million TEUs by 2030.

King Fahd Industrial Port is described as the largest Red Sea facility for loading crude oil and petrochemical products, with an annual handling capacity of 210 million tonnes.

According to Mawani, Saudi ports under its supervision recorded an annual increase of 10.58% in container volumes during 2025, reaching 8.3 million standard containers.