The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has signed a landmark land lease agreement with China’s ZTT Group to establish a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for submarine and terrestrial cables at Ras Al-Khair Port.
The agreement, inked during the ninth edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, marks a major step in strengthening Saudi Arabia’s industrial infrastructure and advancing its position as a global hub for maritime industries and advanced manufacturing.
With the partnership with ZTT, Mawani aims to support the Kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030 goals by boosting technology transfer, creating high-skilled jobs, and enabling the production of advanced cable systems critical for telecommunications, energy, and marine projects.
Representing an investment of about $100 million (SAR 375 million), the cutting-edge manufacturing facility will span an impressive area of 80,000 square meters at Ras Al-Khair Port. Designed to position Saudi Arabia as a leading hub for advanced cable production in the Gulf region, the new plant with ZTT will support the growing global demand for energy and telecommunications infrastructure.
Once operational, the facility is expected to deliver a remarkable annual production capacity comprising 500 kilometers of submarine cables, 500 kilometers of terrestrial cables, and 12,500 kilometers of fiber optic cables. These products will play a critical role in enabling large-scale renewable energy projects, digital connectivity networks, and offshore infrastructure developments across the Kingdom and beyond.
This strategic partnership between Mawani and China’s ZTT Group is key to developing the submarine and terrestrial cable industry within the Kingdom, directly supporting the National Transport and Logistics Strategy’s goal of solidifying Saudi Arabia’s position as a global logistics hub.
By localizing high-value manufacturing, the project will also strengthen supply chain resilience and create significant employment opportunities for Saudi talent in advanced engineering and production fields.
