Jeddah Port steps in to help vessels stuck in Suez jam as container ship freed

Helped by the high tide, a flotilla of tugboats managed to wrench the bow of the Ever Given free on Monday. Located about 1150 kilometers south east of Suez, Jeddah is one of the closest major ports to the vital waterway.

Port operator Mawani said it would extend the services of Jeddah Islamic Port for ship transfers and container offloading.

It said it would extend the exemption of storage fees for transshipment containers – from 30 days to 60 days – for a duration of three months.

"The initiative underscores Saudi Arabia's commitment to mitigating the impact on global supply chains, in addition to affirming Saudi ports' readiness to adapt to shifts in the international transport market and the associated challenges," the ports company said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency.

The 400-meter long ship became lodged across a southern section of the canal in high winds early on Tuesday, halting shipping traffic on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

Located on a key maritime artery that connects the Far East, Europe and the Horn of Africa, Jeddah Islamic Port has a capacity of 130 million tons across 62 berths.