The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has signed three agreements to launch the "smart ports initiative" aiming to automate operations in Saudi Ports.
Mawani has inked three Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with the following organisations:
- Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Ericsson and Huawei
- Saudi Global Ports Company (SGP)
- Red Sea Gateway Terminal Company (RSGT) and DP World
Through this initiative, Mawani intends to make Saudi ports pioneers in applying modern technologies and enhancing their competitiveness in the field of automated handling, serving importers and exporters, providing logistics services within the maritime transport industry, and enhancing the country's role in the logistics sector.
Under the three agreements, all parties will cooperate in accelerating and implementing 5G technology in both the logistics and operation sector in order to contribute to the automation of port operations, according to a statement.
They will also cooperate to provide communications and information technology services as well as infrastructure, cloud computing services development, cybersecurity, application services, and platforms.
Eng. Olayan Al Wetaid, CEO of STC Group, said, "STC is committed to its role as a leading national company by providing advanced technical solutions to our partners in various sectors, and this agreement comes to transform Saudi ports into smart ports operating with 5G technologies."
Mawani will work with its partners to activate the innovation, research and developing methodology for emerging technologies, starting from the stage of producing creative ideas to developing a technical conception and feasibility study for applicable ideas that will upgrade the operating system and raise the quality of the Saudi ports' performance.
"Saudi ports are entering a crucial stage of transforming into automated smart ports by adopting the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution with their advanced applications besides relying on artificial intelligence (AI) technology, internet of things (IoT) and technologies of 5G with the aim of raising the efficiency of the operational performance of Saudi port network and developing the marine transport system," commented the president of Saudi Ports Authority, Omar bin Talal Hariri.
He added that the smart ports initiative objectives' derived from those of the national transport and logistics strategy and from Saudi Vision 2030 in developing a prosperous and sustainable maritime sector and to position Saudi Arabia as a global logistics hub.
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