Saudi Arabia Launches New 'IRF' Shipping Service Linking Jeddah to Sokhna and Safaga

Saudi Arabia's Jeddah Islamic Port has added a new maritime shipping service, referred to as "IRF," that links it directly with Egypt's Ain Sokhna and Safaga ports, according to the Saudi outlet Asharq Al-Awsat and Egypt's Erem Business and Dar Al Hilal.

The service is described as strengthening connectivity between the two countries' Red Sea ports, part of a broader push to grow shipping links across the Red Sea and Gulf of Suez corridor.

Safaga has been building out its role as a Red Sea trade hub in recent months — the port has shipped tens of thousands of tonnes of phosphate to markets including India and Malaysia, and a separate carrier, CULINES, recently launched its own service linking Safaga to Asian ports.

For Safaga residents, a busier port typically means more shipping and logistics jobs and steadier freight traffic in and out of the city. For visitors on the Red Sea coast, port activity has little direct effect, though it reflects the wider economic momentum officials have been citing alongside the region's tourism recovery.

None of the three outlets that reported the story gave a launch date, the shipping line operating the service, ship capacity, or the type of cargo the "IRF" route will carry. Egyptian and Saudi port authorities have not yet issued their own statement on the new service.