Saudi Arabia has scored the highest regional progress in the Maritime Connectivity Index, according to the relevant Q3 2021 report generated by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development or UNCTAD.
The country posted a score of 70.68 points, which the nation’s official Saudi Press Agency said was the highest in the region.
The global index measures the level of interdependence of the world’s ports with shipping line networks quarterly.
It aims to help countries identify challenges and find opportunities to develop and improve their performance in the field of logistics services.
The Maritime Connectivity Index with Global Shipping Lines includes several sub-indicators.
Most notable among them are the number of scheduled visits by ships to the country within a week, the capacity of the ships in standard units, and the number of regular service paths provided by shipping lines to and from the country.
The SPA report said Saudi Arabia’s region-topping progress came despite the challenges the world has been facing as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which led to an increase in shipping costs.
It also directly attributed the progress to the partnerships secured by the Saudi Ports Authority or MAWANI with operators and major international shipping lines, as the efforts of other government entities including the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, and the General Directorate of Border Guards.
MAWANI recently launched five shipping lines, which contributed to an increase in the number of the total volume of containers handled by 116 percent, amounting to 418,462 TEUs, from January to September this year.
On this occasion, MAWANI President Omar bin Talal Hariri said the Saudi ports were able to develop maritime communication paths and significantly improve the country’s competitiveness through the continuous development of infrastructure and the enhancement of operational capabilities.