Saudi ports cargo volumes up 8 percent in April

Saudi Mawani handled 2.5 million containers during the first quarter of 2021. (File/Shutterstock)
Short Url
Updated 11 May 2021
Follow

Saudi ports cargo volumes up 8 percent in April

  • Global trade has started to recover as consumer spending rebounds, a year after the pandemic

RIYADH: Saudi ports handled more than 609,000 containers during April, up more than 8.25 percent from a year earlier.
Ports overseen by the General Authority for Ports (Mawani) also handled more than 450,000 heads of live cattle, up by almost 89 percent over the same period, SPA reported.

Saudi Mawani handled 2.5 million containers during the first quarter of 2021, a 16 percent increase from a year earlier.

This represented the highest rate of container handling during a period of three months in the history of the Kingdom’s sea ports.

Global trade has started to recover as consumer spending rebounds, a year after the pandemic.


QatarEnergy announces force majeure following Iran attacks: statement

Updated 04 March 2026
Follow

QatarEnergy announces force majeure following Iran attacks: statement

DOHA: Qatar’s state-run energy firm on Wednesday declared force majeure following attacks on two of its main facilities that halted liquefied natural gas production and as Iran pressed missile and drone attacks across the Gulf.

“Further to the announcement by QatarEnergy to stop production of liquefied natural gas and associated products, QatarEnergy has declared Force Majeure to its affected buyers,” the company said in a statement.

QatarEnergy invoked the clause, which shields it from penalties and potential breach of contract claims from clients, after stopping LNG production on Monday.

Iranian drones attacked two of the company’s main production hubs in Ras Laffan Industrial City, 80 km north of Doha and in Mesaieed 40 km south of the Qatari capital, Doha’s ministry of defense said at the time.

The Gulf state is one of the world’s top liquefied natural gas producers, alongside the US, Australia and Russia.

On Tuesday, QatarEnergy said it would halt some downstream production of some products including urea, polymers, methanol, aluminum and others.

Qatar shares the world’s largest natural gas reservoir with Iran.

QatarEnergy estimates the Gulf state’s portion of the reservoir, the North Field, holds about 10 percent of the world’s known natural gas reserves.

In recent years, Qatar has inked a series of long-term LNG deals with France’s Total, Britain’s Shell, India’s Petronet, China’s Sinopec and Italy’s Eni, among others.