Jeddah's new container terminal + DP World's Southeast Asia build-out

RSGT, CMA CGM back Jeddah’s next terminal

A new container terminal is coming to Jeddah Islamic Port: Saudi’s Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) and CMA CGM have inked definitive agreements to jointly develop and operate the new container terminal for around SAR 1.6 bn (USD 434 mn), according to a post on X. The terminal will add up to 2.6 mn TEUs of annual capacity, with new deep-water berths capable of handling the largest containerships and 10 new ship-to-shore cranes.

REFRESHER- RSGT and CMA CGM first laid out the potential JV in October 2025, when they inked in SAR 1.7 bn of investment and said Terminal 4 would operate as a separate terminal adjacent to RSGT’s existing complex. The project already sits under RSGT’s long-term Mawani concession and would take its Jeddah handling capacity to around 8.8 mn TEUs annually.

The business lens: The expansion agreement comes just months after Maersk’s APM Terminal agreed to take a 37.5% stake in DP World’s competing South Container Terminal at the same port. That leaves Jeddah’s two major container operators increasingly paired with two of the world’s largest shipping groups — giving terminal owners not just additional capital, but potentially stronger access to the vessel networks and cargo volumes needed to fill all that new capacity.

The resilience lens: the port is no longer relying on Saudi import growth alone. Jeddah spent the last period adding liner connections across India, China, Southeast Asia, Europe, Turkey, Egypt, and East Africa — while the Hormuz disruption gave that network an unexpected stress test. By late March, Maersk said Jeddah volumes were already up 40% since the conflict began as its land-bridge network through Red Sea and Gulf bypass ports handled around 35k containers a week.

DP World expands footprint in Southeast Asia

Logistics giant DP World opened a new warehouse in Malaysia as it expands its contract logistics operations across Southeast Asia, according to a press release. The 11.5k-sqm facility in Johor is the first of two, with a warehouse slated to open in Kuala Lumpur later this year. The operator is looking to launch similar projects in Thailand and the Philippines this year. Its current footprint in the Asia-Pacific region includes 16 ports and terminals.