Saudi port authority unveils new Red Sea shipping service to bypass Hormuz

The move aims to ‘enhance connectivity’ by linking the ports of Jeddah, Oman, and Djibouti  

News Desk - The Cradle 

On 21 May, Saudi Arabia’s Port Authority Mawani unveiled a new shipping service aimed at linking the ports of Jeddah, Salalah, and Djibouti with a capacity of 1,730 standard containers in a bid to “strengthen connectivity."

The move comes as the Strait of Hormuz remains blockaded by the Islamic Republic to Washington and its allies, and as a US siege continues to target Iranian ports throughout the brittle, so-called ceasefire. 

Al-Watan reported the launch of "a new shipping service connecting Jeddah, Salalah, and Djibouti Ports with a capacity of up to 1,730 Containers to enhance maritime connectivity between the Kingdom and global ports.”

Earlier this week, the Saudi port authority launched a Red Sea Express linking Jeddah, Yanbu, Egypt’s Sukhna, and the Jordanian port of Aqaba, with a capacity of 1,100 containers. 

Saudi Arabia has already been working to accelerate alternative Red Sea shipping corridors since the start of the illegal US-Israeli war on Iran.

The global price of oil stands at around $105, after having shot up to close to $120 at the height of Washington and Tel Aviv’s brutal campaign against Iran.

The new shipping service comes amid reports that the kingdom is pressing Washington to end its blockade of Iran’s ports and Hormuz.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), this is due to fear of further retaliatory measures, including the potential closure of the Bab al-Mandab Strait by Iran or its allies – namely Yemen's Ansarallah. 

At the peak of the war in March, reports said Saudi Arabia activated the East–West Pipeline to bypass the Iranian blockade on the Strait of Hormuz for as much as 5 million barrels. 

A separate Emirati pipeline was also activated, as Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were reportedly diverting as much oil as possible from the Strait of Hormuz route via the Red Sea terminals at Yanbu and Al-Muajjiz.

The new Saudi move coincides with the UAE and Israel expanding their military and intelligence cooperation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab – as well as on Yemen’s strategic islands. 

This includes a series of Israeli-Emirati military intelligence facilities on the Socotra Archipelago.

The UAE, and to a lesser extent Saudi Arabia, have actively participated in the US-Israeli war against Iran by hosting Washington’s forces and enabling attacks on the Islamic Republic.