Saudi Global Ports (SGP) has formally assumed the operatorship of the Riyadh Dry Port (RDP) Ecosystem on 14 March 2022 under a new entity "SGP Riyadh". The successful takeover was completed in under 4 months following the signing of a 10-year concession agreement between Saudi Railway Company (SAR) and SGP on 7 December 2021.

SAR and SGP have worked closely on efforts to retain manpower, transfer assets and engage the port community ahead of the takeover, closely consulting stakeholders including the Saudi Chamber of Commerce, Tabadul and Customs Authority. SAR and SGP have also purchased and commissioned more than 100 units of new container and cargo handling equipment to gear up for the expanded operations.

As part of developing the RDP Ecosystem towards providing more efficient and integrated logistics services, SGP will be starting operations of the Riyadh Empty Yard (REY) to re-position empty containers for exports. The current RDP and container depot in Dammam will also undergo a series of civil rehabilitation and upgrades to their terminal operating systems. Overall, SGP is expected to invest over 250 million Saudi Riyals (91 million SGD) in developing the RDP Ecosystem.

Regional CEO of Middle East South Asia and Head of Group Business Development Wan Chee Foong said: "We would like to thank our partners, the Public Investment Fund, SAR, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their support and trust throughout this journey. The integration of RDP and Dammam Port is timely as the demand for more resilient and sustainable supply chain ecosystems increases. PSA is committed to working alongside our partners towards the Kingdom's vision to build an efficient logistics hub for the region and beyond."

For more information, please click HERE for the press release.