عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Business

Middle East’s Largest Logistics Park Runs on Renewable Energy in Western Saudi Arabia

The logistics park will offer a set of clean logistical solutions that would connect and facilitate the movement of supply chains. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The logistics park will offer a set of clean logistical solutions that would connect and facilitate the movement of supply chains. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
TT

Middle East’s Largest Logistics Park Runs on Renewable Energy in Western Saudi Arabia

The logistics park will offer a set of clean logistical solutions that would connect and facilitate the movement of supply chains. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The logistics park will offer a set of clean logistical solutions that would connect and facilitate the movement of supply chains. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) and Maersk announced on Wednesday the launching of the biggest comprehensive logistics zone in the Middle East at the Jeddah Islamic port, in western Saudi Arabia.

In a statement, Mawani said that the logistics park, which will stretch over an area of 225,000 square meters, was being built at a total investment of SR1.3 billion ($346 million). Once operational, it will provide over 2,500 direct and indirect jobs.

The logistics park will offer a set of clean logistical solutions that would connect and facilitate the movement of supply chains, and deal with annual volumes of up to 200,000 containers of various products. The project is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2024.

The area operates using renewable energy and applying solutions to decarbonize logistics services to achieve net zero emissions by 2040. It will be powered by 100 percent solar energy generated from rooftop panels spread over 65,000 square meters.

The trucks used for transportation will be electric cars to effectively reduce emissions.

According to the statement issued by Mawani, the zone will operate based on an advanced warehouse management system that applies modern technologies and digital solutions to manage inventory efficiently and provide unit-level tracking.

Moreover, the zone will have an advanced dashboard, which will improve competencies and build a competitive advantage for the beneficiaries of importers, exporters and shipping agents, in addition to an internal women’s academy that provides specialized training programs for women.

Omar Hariri, President of Mawani, emphasized the importance of the project, which he said would contribute to achieving the goals of the national strategy for transport and logistics services.

The zone will include storage and distribution areas that accommodate exports and imports of general merchandise, warehouses for refrigerated food products, in addition to an area for transshipment, air freight, and LCL goods, and an e-commerce center.

The project falls within the framework of the initiatives launched by Mawani to develop and offer investment opportunities for the private sector, and increase the number of logistical regions that include re-export to reach 30 zone by 2030.

It also comes in line with the objectives of the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services, which aim to consolidate the Kingdom’s position as a global logistics center.

The statement noted that the comprehensive logistics zone at the Islamic port of Jeddah would support the growth of the logistics industry, contribute significantly to the economy and increase the volume of the Kingdom’s non-oil export share by 50%, creating growing career opportunities in the logistics sector.

Most Viewed

 
 
Business

Trump Exempts Mexico Goods from Tariffs for a Month, but Doesn’t Mention Canada

Construction workers are seen on the site of a new development in Long Beach, California, March 5, 2025. (AFP)
Construction workers are seen on the site of a new development in Long Beach, California, March 5, 2025. (AFP)
TT
TT

Trump Exempts Mexico Goods from Tariffs for a Month, but Doesn’t Mention Canada

Construction workers are seen on the site of a new development in Long Beach, California, March 5, 2025. (AFP)
Construction workers are seen on the site of a new development in Long Beach, California, March 5, 2025. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Mexico won't be required to pay tariffs on any goods that fall under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade until April 2, but made no mention of a reprieve for Canada despite his Commerce secretary saying a comparable exemption was likely.

"After speaking with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, I have agreed that Mexico will not be required to pay Tariffs on anything that falls under the USMCA Agreement," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "This Agreement is until April 2nd."

Earlier on Thursday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the one-month reprieve on hefty tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and Canada that has been granted to automotive products is likely to be extended to all products that comply with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade.

Lutnick told CNBC he expected Trump to announce that extension on Thursday, a day after exempting automotive goods from the 25% tariffs he slapped on imports from Canada and Mexico earlier in the week.

Trump "is going to decide this today," Lutnick said, adding "it's likely that it will cover all USMCA-compliant goods and services."

"So if you think about it this way, if you lived under Donald Trump's US-Mexico-Canada agreement, you will get a reprieve from these tariffs now. If you chose to go outside of that, you did so at your own risk, and today is when that reckoning comes," he said.

Nonetheless, Trump's social media post made no mention of a reprieve for Canada, the other party to the USMCA deal that Trump negotiated during his first term as president.

Lutnick said his "off the cuff" estimate was that more than 50% of the goods imported from the two US neighbors - also its largest two trading partners - were compliant with the USMCA deal that Trump negotiated during his first term as president.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Lutnick's comments "promising" in remarks to reporters in Canada.

"That aligns with some of the conversations that we have been having with administration officials, but I'm going to wait for an official agreement to talk about Canadian response and look at the details of it," Trudeau said. "But it is a promising sign. But I will highlight that it means that the tariffs remain in place, and therefore our response will remain in place."

Lutnick emphasized that the reprieve would only last until April 2, when he said the administration plans to move ahead with reciprocal tariffs under which the US will impose levies that match those imposed by trading partners.

In the meantime, he said, the current hiatus is about getting fentanyl deaths down, which is the initial justification Trump used for the tariffs on Mexico and Canada and levies on Chinese goods that have now risen to 20%.

"On April 2, we're going to move with the reciprocal tariffs, and hopefully Mexico and Canada will have done a good enough job on fentanyl that this part of the conversation will be off the table, and we'll move just to the reciprocal tariff conversation," Lutnick said. "But if they haven't, this will stay on."

Indeed, Trudeau is expecting the US and Canada to remain in a trade war.

"I can confirm that we will continue to be in a trade war that was launched by the United States for the foreseeable future," he told reporters in Ottawa.