The China Saudi Express shipping service is added to Jeddah Islamic Port with a capacity of 1,400 TEUs

The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) announced on Thursday, 30 July 2026, that the China Saudi Express shipping service, operated by Hizone Group, has been added to Jeddah Islamic Port. The service operates with a capacity of 1,400 TEUs, or twenty-foot equivalent units.

According to Mawani, the line connects the strategic Red Sea gateway to major regional and international maritime hubs including Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha and Port Klang. The authority said the aim is to strengthen Jeddah Islamic Port's competitiveness on the global maritime transport map, support national exports, enable Saudi companies to reach markets more easily and increase operational efficiency.

The new line launches at a time when, with traffic through the Strait of Hormuz still constrained, the Red Sea route has become one of the region's main trade and energy passages, the same corridor for which Saudi Arabia and 13 other countries announced a multinational maritime defence alliance on Thursday. A deeper direct maritime link between China and the Red Sea coast matters to Iran in terms of competition over transit routes and trade with East Asia.