Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Port is looking to give the UAE’s Jebel Ali a run for its money as it eyes shipments currently arriving at the Dubai hub.

Shipments to Riyadh are currently sent to the Saudi capital via Dubai, explains Rayan Bukhari, a manager at the King Abdullah port. The Kingdom’s newest and first privately owned port, located 100 km north of Jeddah, is looking to change that.

“We’re not competing with Jeddah’s Islamic port – but we are going to take business away from Jebel Ali in Dubai. That’s because of our quicker, more automated offloading and customs procedure,” Bukhari said, quoted in a BBC report.

Shipping the cargo directly to Saudi Arabia will be more cost-effective, he added.

“At the moment lots of products destined for Riyadh are shipped to Dubai, but that will change. They’ll be shipped here as it is cheaper – and can be delivered more quickly within the Kingdom,” Bukhari said, adding that freight arriving at the port will be taken directly to Riyadh via a new land bridge.

Owned and developed by Ports Development Company, the King Abdullah Port is part of the $100 billion King Abdullah Economic City, a 168 million sqm development on the Red Sea Coast.