The Saudi Maritime & Logistics Congress 2026 concluded in Jeddah on 25 October after drawing more than 34,000 registrants and visitors, a 33% increase over the 2025 edition, according to figures reported on the event's closing. The gathering brought together 90 exhibiting organisations and 41 speakers from industry leadership and specialist ranks, alongside 10 panel sessions that examined the sector's latest developments, obstacles and opportunities.
The most concrete outcome of the congress was a contract signed between Bahri and International Maritime Industries to build three new very large crude carriers, each with a deadweight capacity of 320,000 tonnes, a step aimed at expanding the national fleet and raising its operational efficiency. The deal carries weight beyond the addition of hulls, since it ties directly to building shipbuilding capacity and localising the industrial and service activities around it inside the Kingdom, which in turn can energise industrial supply chains, lift demand for engineering and technical services and open room for local firms in the maritime industries.
Agreements reached during the congress extended into human capital as well, with Bahri and the University of Jeddah signing a professional partnership to qualify national talent and sharpen its skills across maritime transport and logistics, linking educational outcomes to labour market requirements and widening field and cooperative training opportunities for students. The step addresses a sector that needs a broad mix of specialisations spanning logistics management, engineering, operations, safety and digital systems, and it supports the long-term sustainability of sector growth while reducing reliance on external expertise in some disciplines.
Discussions across the sessions also covered the role of modern technologies in refining marine operations and logistics services, with digital transformation treated as a central axis for port development through operations management systems, data exchange and the coordination of cargo and service flows. The Kingdom's position on the Red Sea, at the crossroads of trade between Asia, Europe and regional markets, gives these efforts added weight, and the congress agenda also took in sustainability, alternative energy sources and risk management as subjects of growing importance to the global maritime sector.
The event ran alongside a parallel track for marine tourism, with Jeddah hosting the signing on 25 October of an agreement to host the Red Sea Yacht Show. Organisers are positioning the congress as a platform where specialised gatherings translate into tangible economic projects rather than remaining confined to discussion.