Saudi container ports have seen a container decline in February moving 561,484 TEUs, translating to a 10% drop from the same month last year.
In the breakdown of container volumes, Saudi ports’ export volumes fell by 6% to 181,944 TEUs, but import containers increased by 17% to 266,672 TEUs. Additionally, the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) reported a significant 35% decrease in the transshipment sector with 152,868 TEUs.
Meanwhile, Saudi ports marked a slight 1.44% increase in cargo throughput tonnage in February with 23,381,835 tons. “This surge underscores the substantial efforts invested in enhancing port infrastructure and delivering top-notch logistical services,” said Mawani.
In the second month of the year, King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam set a new record, handling 235,820 TEUs, marking a notable increase of 25.41% from the previous throughput of 166,956 TEUs in 2023. This achievement stands as the port’s highest monthly handling figure to date.
“This accomplishment underscores the pioneering operational and logistical capabilities of King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam, boasting 43 fully serviced and equipped berths with a capacity of up to 105 million tons of goods and TEUs,” mentioned the port authority.
In addition, the breakdown of cargo at the Saudi ports includes 830,641 tons of general cargo, 3,626,347 tons of solid bulk cargo, and 12,586,815 tons of liquid bulk cargo. Moreover, the ports have witnessed a noteworthy increase in unloading, with 899,293 cattle heads, marking a remarkable 166.67% rise from the 337,231 cattle heads recorded in the same period in 2023.
Maritime traffic has also experienced a modest increase of 1.57%, totalling 907 ships compared to 893 ships in 2023. However, the number of cars has decreased by 11.12% to 72,448 cars compared to 81,510 cars in 2023.
