RIYADH: Jeddah Islamic Port set a new record for container throughput in July, handling 540,107 twenty-foot equivalent units, while daily truck traffic reached 20,000, highlighting its capacity to manage rising freight volumes.
The port handled 206,927 imported containers, 155,270 exported containers, and 138,615 transshipment containers during the month, while transit containers totaled 39,295, according to official figures.
The record comes as Saudi Arabia accelerates efforts to expand port capacity under its Vision 2030 strategy to become a global logistics hub. Saudi Ports Authority, also known as Mawani, aims to increase the Kingdom’s port capacity to more than 40 million TEUs by 2030 and raise its share of regional transshipment traffic to 45 percent.
The expansion is attracting private investment, with Mawani signing seven contracts worth nearly SR1 billion ($267 million) in July to develop logistics centers at Jeddah Islamic Port and the Al-Khumra logistics zone. The projects cover more than 384,000 sq. meters and are expected to generate over 5,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The release stated: “The Saudi Ports Authority, or Mawani, announced that the total cargo throughput tonnage in July amounted to 8.49 million tonnes, marking a 42.8 percent decrease compared to 14.85 million tonnes during the same period in 2025. General cargo totaled 491,411 tonnes, while liquid bulk cargo amounted to 4.84 million tonnes, and dry bulk cargo reached 3.1 million tonnes.”
It added: “The number of containers handled decreased by 17.5 percent to 597,737 TEUs, compared to 725,222 TEUs during the same period last year.”
Container traffic declines
Imported containers fell 14.6 percent to 233,906 TEUs from 274,074 a year earlier, while exported containers dropped 41.9 percent to 160,001 TEUs from 275,487. Transshipment containers also declined 15.3 percent to 148,695 TEUs, compared with 175,661 in the same period last year.
The data also showed that passenger traffic fell 10.1 percent year on year to 66,414 in July, while vessel calls declined 25.2 percent to 1,021. Vehicle traffic dropped 24.5 percent to 58,879 vehicles. The Kingdom’s ports also received 889,236 head of livestock, up 44.8 percent from 613,907 during the same period last year.
