Nowlun: Mawani and CMA CGM Plan Jeddah Terminal 4

In Short

Nowlun says Saudi Ports Authority Mawani has signed an agreement involving Red Sea Gateway Terminal and CMA CGM to develop Jeddah Islamic Port’s fourth container terminal. The plan includes about SAR 1.6 billion in investment and targets capacity of roughly 2.6 million TEU a year.

What Happened

According to Nowlun, Mawani announced an agreement between Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) and France’s CMA CGM Group to develop and operate “Terminal 4” at Jeddah Islamic Port.

The project aims to raise annual handling capacity to around 2.6 million TEU. TEU means “twenty-foot equivalent unit,” a standard way to count container volume.

The scope includes new deep-water berths, which are docking areas built to handle larger ships. It also includes operating technology upgrades and the addition of 10 ship-to-shore cranes, the tall cranes that lift containers on and off vessels.

Mawani framed the agreement as part of a wider development plan for Jeddah Islamic Port, with a goal of attracting more global shipping lines and services.

Why It Matters

Ports are physical infrastructure, but they shape digital logistics too. More capacity and faster turnaround times can reduce delays for importers, exporters, and freight forwarders who depend on predictable schedules.

Jeddah is a key Red Sea gateway, so changes there can affect trade flows linking the Gulf, North Africa, and East Africa. For African operators moving goods through Red Sea routes, larger berths and more cranes may translate into fewer bottlenecks during peak shipping periods.

For logistics teams, better port performance often means clearer delivery estimates and lower “buffer” costs, like extra storage days and rescheduling fees. The impact will depend on construction timelines and how quickly terminal operations ramp up after upgrades.