LR and MAWANI strengthen maritime partnership

Lloyd’s Register (LR) and the Saudi Ports Authority (MAWANI) have signed a three-year deal to support the development of Saudi Arabia’s maritime and ports sectors.

Signed by MAWANI’s president His Excellency Eng. Suliman Al-Mazroua and LR’s chief executive Nick Brown, the agreement will explore collaboration across maritime governance, safety, sustainability, digitalisation, regulatory compliance and professional development.

The partnership supports Saudi Arabia’s National Transport and Logistics Strategy, launched in 2021, which aims to establish the Kingdom as a global logistics hub.

James Frew, Maritime Advisory & Energy sales director at LR, said: “This agreement reflects our shared ambition to support a safe, sustainable and future-ready maritime sector in line with Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to position itself as a global logistics hub.”

He added that combining MAWANI’s national leadership with LR’s international maritime and technical experience would help strengthen capability and accelerate innovation.

Areas of potential cooperation include strengthening port administration and operations through governance assessments, competency frameworks, leadership development and policies aligned with international standards. The organisations will also examine opportunities to advance environmental management systems, decarbonisation initiatives and green port programmes, alongside improved environmental, social and governance strategies.

Developing national maritime talent will be another priority, with potential initiatives connecting education and industry, supporting workforce localisation and increasing opportunities for women across the sector.

Abdullah Al Munif, vice president of Commercial Business at MAWANI, said the collaboration would support operational excellence, national capability development and the international competitiveness of Saudi ports. He highlighted digitalisation and knowledge exchange as important opportunities to improve efficiency and resilience.

The agreement builds on existing cooperation. In January 2025, LR was appointed to support management systems and certification preparation at four Saudi ports: Jeddah Islamic Port, King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, Yanbu Commercial Port and Jubail Commercial Port.