JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s ports handled 22.52 million tonnes of cargo in September, up 8.6 percent from the same month last year, reflecting the Kingdom’s expanding maritime trade.
The growth included 1.22 million tonnes of general cargo, 5.7 million tonnes of dry bulk, and 15.6 million tonnes of liquid bulk, according to a release by the Saudi Ports Authority, known as Mawani.
Saudi ports’ strong performance supports trade, maritime industries, tourism, and supply chains, while contributing to the Kingdom’s food security and its goal of becoming a major logistics hub connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa under Vision 2030.
“Maritime traffic also rose by 1.11 percent to reach 1,001 vessels, compared to 990 vessels during the same period last year,” the statement noted, adding that passenger numbers increased by 58.56 percent to reach 71,376 passengers, compared to 45,015 passengers in September last year.
It further said that the number of vehicles decreased by 20.09 percent to reach 75,616, compared to 94,630 a year ago.
“The ports received 285,657 cattle heads, marking a decrease of 17.07 percent compared to 344,440 heads of livestock during the same period last year,” Mawani said.
It added that handled containers fell 2.75 percent to 654,865 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units from 673,368 TEUs in September 2024.
Exported containers amounted to 237,349 TEUs, a decrease of 7.14 percent compared to 255,606 in September 2024, while imported containers declined by 3.02 percent to reach 250,725 TEUs compared to 258,521 the same period last year.
Transshipment containers, meanwhile, recorded an increase of 4.74 percent to reach 166,791 TEUs, compared to 159,241 during the ninth month of 2024.
In August, Saudi ports handled 750,634 TEUs, a 9.52 percent increase from the 685,414 seen in the same period of 2024, driven by a 14.7 percent rise in transshipment activity to 189,407 TEUs.
