Posted inPorts & Free Zones, Logistics, Maritime

Mawani: Saudi ports register 11.66% upsurge in September container volumes

Mawani reported an 11.66% increase in container traffic across the kingdom’s ports in September

by Karim Tolba
Jeddah Islamic Port [Image: Mawani]
Jeddah Islamic Port [Image: Mawani]

The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) reported on Thursday an 11.66% increase in container traffic across the kingdom’s ports in September, with 732,293 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) handled compared to 655,831 TEUs handled in the same month of 2022.

Robust performance

The authority’s monthly statistics revealed an 18.2% upswing in exported containers, from 198,529 TEUs in 2022 to 234,663 TEUs in 2023. Meanwhile, imported containers saw a 17.18% uptick to 217,933 TEUs in September, compared to 185,986 TEUs in the preceding year.

Correspondingly, transhipment volumes registered a 3.09% increase, totalling 279,697 TEUs, compared to 271,316 TEUs in 2022.

In terms of cargo throughput, Saudi ports saw a positive trajectory, registering a 2.59% increase in September to 26,058,679 tonnes, surpassing the previous year’s figure of 25,399,895 tonnes. This growth is attributed to the 676,017 tons of general cargo, 4,211,684 tons of dry bulk cargo, and 13,175,777 tons of liquid bulk cargo.

This growth was driven by the 676,017 tonnes of general cargo, 4,211,684 tonnes of dry bulk cargo, and 13,175,777 tonnes of liquid bulk cargo handled throughout the month.

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Across-the-board growth

According to the authority, other sectors also displayed notable growth. Passenger traffic saw a 79.29% upturn from 40,679 passengers in 2022 to 72,934 passengers in the current year.

Meanwhile, automobile imports saw a 19.77% increase, rising from 69,341 units to 83,049 units in 2023.

Moreover, Mawani’s ports welcomed 11.83% more vessels, with 1,040 ships docking at its berths, compared to 930 ships in 2022.

Livestock, in particular, stood out as the best-performing segment in September, recording a 744.31% annual growth to 533,948 cattle heads, compared to 63,241 in the year-ago period.

In contrast, food commodities witnessed a 27.09% decline, with volumes dropping to 1,559,020 tonnes in September 2023, compared to 2,138,364 tonnes in September 2022.