A new feeder and short-sea shipping company has been launched in Saudi Arabia to link the kingdom with other key ports in the Red Sea.
The Riyadh-based Folk Maritime is headed up by former Hamburg Süd boss Poul Hestbaek, who left the Maersk company in August last year.
Folk Maritime describes itself as Saudi Arabia’s first dedicated feeder operator, offering services in the Middle East and the surrounding region.
In addition to Hestbaek, the outfit is run by former director at ARK Logistics & Maritime Saleem Kadernani as chief commercial officer, chief of finance Khalid Fawzi, and head of human resources Abdulrahman Alshangiti.
The company has two services in the Red Sea, with a pair of 2,500 teu feeders connecting Jeddah with Neom, Yanbu in Saudi Arabia, and Ain Sokhna in Egypt weekly, while a smaller 700 teu ship links with Sudan every two weeks.