King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC): Best Logistics Hub Red Sea 2019

King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) is one of the key players advancing the economic diversification vision of Saudi Arabia. KAEC is a port city located along the Red Sea, a busy maritime nexus of trade routes to some the world’s fastest developing economies. KAEC furthers Saudi Vision 2030 in its role as a regional and global hub of trade and industry, bolstering the Kingdom’s status as a gateway to new markets by strategically developing a commercial corridor connecting three continents. KAEC has attracted $15bn in investments and established itself as the largest logistics hub of the region — with aims to become the biggest in the world. The KAEC Industrial Valley houses the manufacturing and logistics facilities, which achieved 50 percent growth of port container handling in 2018. Inaugurated in 2013, the King Abdullah Port now handles around three million shipping containers, and it’s only scratching the surface of capacity; with just 55 percent currently utilised, there’s plenty of room to grow. The port features state-of-the-art equipment and advanced infrastructure, including the deepest water berths and largest and most advanced cranes in the world, to ensure that trade flows smoothly. The pro-business regulatory environment contributes to its increasing popularity amongst public-private partnerships from near and far. KAEC encourages synergies across the city’s sectors, with manufacturing businesses feeding product through the logistics facilities, boosting the nation’s export and import capacity and fuelling maritime and freight transport industries. The CFI.co judging panel declares KAEC winner of the 2019 Best Logistics Hub (Red Sea) award.