As part of its ambition to become an ‘advanced and sustainable port’, the Port of NEOM in Saudi Arabia has welcomed the arrival of the country’s first automated remote-controlled ship-to-shore (STS) and electric rubber-tyred gantry (eRTG) cranes.
Strategically located on the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors, the Port of NEOM already serves as a critical gateway on the East-West trade route, but with these automation ambitions, it hopes to further position itself as a ‘global hub for smart, sustainable trade’.
These new cranes are due to play a critical role in the port’s automation strategy, ‘unlocking the potential for high-volume, high-efficiency operations’.
As well as being fully automated, the cranes’ remote-control capability ‘allows for a future-ready workforce model, where operators can manage equipment from secure, ergonomic environments’, the port says.
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Sean Kelly, managing director of the Port of NEOM, commented: “The arrival of our first automated cranes marks a tangible milestone as we lay the foundations for an advanced, future-ready port.
“We’re not only accelerating industrial growth in northwest Saudi Arabia, we’re setting a new benchmark for performance, efficiency, innovation and establishing a vital trade gateway for the Kingdom and the region beyond.”
Alongside its investments in infrastructure and automation, the Port of NEOM has also committed to developing local talent, including, it says, ‘training Saudi women to take on high-tech roles’.
As part of this commitment, an initiative has been launched to ‘train the next generation of production specialists to gain the skills to become remote crane operators, thereby helping shape a more inclusive future for the logistics and industrial sectors’.
This programme is currently underway, with 10 participants from the nearby city of Tabuk enrolled in ‘an intensive two-year programme that blends technical instruction and hands-on training with dedicated mentorship’.
Hajjer Alatawi, one of the trainees taking part in the programme, said: “This experience has shown me that port logistics is far more complex than just moving cargo; it’s about teamwork, precision and responsibility.
“Seeing more Saudi women entering this space gives me hope for a future where industries are defined by skills, not gender.”
It is hoped that by empowering Saudi workers with hi-tech skills, the Port of NEOM can be ‘a catalyst for a sustainable, diverse and innovative ecosystem that enables regional economic resilience and advances the goals of Saudi Vision 2030’.
For more on the importance of ports to the supply chains in the Middle East and Africa, and some of the ambitious plans to advance the region’s logistics infrastructure, check out this feature from the May issue of Logistics Manager!
And with the first-ever Supply Chain Excellence Awards MEA proving to be a roaring success, click here for the full list of 2025 winners! The Supply Chain Excellence Awards MEA will return to the Rosewood Abu Dhabi on 11 May 2026, so keep an eye out on the Logistics Manager website for entries opening for next year’s awards!
