The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) on Sunday launched the Smart Ports initiative in a bid to enable Saudi ports apply modern technologies and boost their competitiveness.
During the launch, Mawani signed three MoUs with STC, Ericsson and Huawei, the Saudi Global Ports Company (SGP), the Red Sea Gateway Terminal Company (RSGT) and DP World.
Besides enhancing regional and global competitiveness in the field of automated handling, the agreements are aimed at serving importers and exporters, providing logistics services within the maritime transport industry, and enhancing the kingdom’s role in the logistics sector.
Present during the launching ceremony were Minister of Transport and Logistics Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser; Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Engineer Abdullah Al-Swaha and President of Saudi Ports Authority, Omar bin Talal Hariri.
Under the three agreements, all parties will cooperate in accelerating and implementing 5G technology in both the l
ogistics and operation sector in order to contribute to the automation of port operations and other automation initiatives in addition to cooperating in providing communications and information technology services as well as infrastructure, cloud computing services development, cybersecurity, application services, and platforms, local media reports said.
Mawani will work with its partners to activate the innovation, research and developing methodology for emerging technologies, starting from the stage of producing creative ideas to the stage of developing a technical conception and feasibility study for applicable ideas that will in its role result in new products and solutions that will contribute to upgrading the operational system and raising the quality of performance of the Saudi ports network.
Omar bin Talal Hariri said, “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 besides relying on AI technology, IoT and technologies of 5G with the aim of raising the efficiency of the operational performance of Saudi port network and developing the marine transport system to enhance the Kingdom’s presence on the global logistics services map.”
He added that Saudi ports play a pivotal role in achieving the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 to increase the gross domestic product share of non-oil exports from 16 percent to 50 percent, especially since the ports account for more than 90 percent of the Saudi export movement.
The President of Saudi Ports Authority also pointed out that the Smart Ports initiative is one of the great results of the corporate strategy of the Saudi Ports Authority that was launched during the past few months, with objectives derived from the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy and from the Saudi Vision 2030 in developing a prosperous and sustainable maritime sector and to position the Kingdom’s as a global logistics hub.
He said the Smart Ports initiative will contribute to achieving the Kingdom’s leadership in preserving the marine environment through the adoption of clean and renewable energy and implementing the latest technology equipment in all operational processes in Saudi ports.