A Timely Opportunity for Sudanese Ports| Sudanow Magazine

Khartoum (Sudanow) — With rising geopolitical tensions in the Gulf region since February 2026, the need has emerged to redraw logistical route maps to ensure the flow of goods and the continuity of supply chains.

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) responded to these challenges by launching the “Europe–Red Sea–Middle East Express” service, which relies on a hybrid model combining maritime and land transport.

This route aims to bypass threatened chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, enhancing the region’s flexibility in dealing with sudden disruptions.

The maritime journey begins in Europe and reaches Saudi ports on the Red Sea, specifically Jeddah Islamic Port and King Abdullah Port in Rabigh. Goods are then transported via the land bridge for approximately 1,300 km across Saudi territory to Dammam on the Arabian Gulf coast. From Dammam, containers are redistributed to Gulf ports such as Jebel Ali, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq via regional feeder vessels.

The hybrid model adopted by MSC represents a strategic solution to ensure the continued flow of goods amid restrictions affecting passage through the Strait of Hormuz, strengthening the region’s resilience against geopolitical fluctuations.

Western Saudi ports are gaining increasing importance as key supply hubs for Gulf countries, thanks to their geographic position, which offers a safer alternative route for European and Asian goods away from congestion at Hormuz.

This new route presents a significant opportunity for Sudanese ports. Ports such as Port Sudan are strategically located on the Red Sea coast, offering strong potential to connect Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

Sudan’s importance is further increasing with ongoing projects aimed at improving infrastructure and port development, enhancing its ability to accommodate large vessels and facilitate loading and unloading operations.

Moreover, Sudan possesses promising logistical capabilities that support transit trade and open new horizons for regional integration, particularly through road networks linking it to neighboring countries such as Egypt and Eritrea, as well as land routes connecting it to landlocked countries including Ethiopia, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Chad.

To fully capitalize on this favorable opportunity, Sudan must engage in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which includes establishing infrastructure linking Sudan’s Red Sea coast to the Atlantic coast of Senegal through the Port Sudan–Dakar transcontinental railway, alongside port modernization and the development of road networks, dry ports, refrigerated storage, and other logistics-support elements.

This coincides with an opportunity currently offered by China, which has lifted all customs tariffs in its trade with African countries.

However, several challenges hinder the implementation of this plan. Chief among them is the infrastructure deficit: Port Sudan lacks sufficient draft depth to accommodate ultra-large container ships, limiting its role as a major hub.

Additionally, both Port Sudan and Suakin Port suffer from a shortage of modern cranes and rely heavily on ship equipment, with relatively modest storage and handling capacities by global standards.

Furthermore, war and internal instability make investment in infrastructure highly risky.

Regional competition also poses a major challenge, with advanced and highly reliable ports along the Red Sea in Egypt, the Doraleh Container Terminal in Djibouti, and modern facilities in Saudi Arabia outperforming Sudanese ports. This necessitates serious efforts by Sudan to modernize its ports, potentially with Chinese support as noted above.

And God grants success.

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