Cargo throughput volumes at Saudi ports rose by 23.7 per cent hitting a total of 21.04 million tonnes with general cargo registering a 21.86 per cent increase reaching a total of 810,244 tonnes.

Dry bulk increased by 2.46 per cent totalling 4.17 million tonnes, and liquid bulk rising by 30.74 per cent notching 15.87 million tonnes, said a Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report.

The increases are as a result of effectively organising the truck flow to and from the Saudi ports, which is within the Saudi Ports Authority’s (Mawani) priorities aimed at enabling various national industries and sectors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Throughput

The Saudi ports’ container throughput volumes reached 600,107 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit), which is a 1.38 per cent increase compared to numbers recorded in May 2021. The exported containers remarkably increased by 2.57 per cent with a total of 175,958 TEU, while the imported containers suffered a minor setback as it decreased by 0.64 per cent with a total of 176,978 TEU.

Meanwhile, the initiatives launched by Mawani, in line with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS), which offer competitive services in throughput and operations, have raised the number of transshipment containers in Saudi ports to reach 247,172 TEU, which is 2.01 per cent compared to numbers recorded during the same time last year.

Vessels docking

The number of vessels docking at Saudi ports increased by 3.03 per cent with a total of 1,020 vessels, and the number of vehicles increased by 42.33 per cent with a total of 81,737 vehicles, on the other hand, the percentage of food decreased by 6.50 per cent with a total of 1,825,579 tonnes compared to numbers recorded last year.

The Saudi ports recorded a 16.38 per cent increase in the number of passengers with a total of 54,907 passengers, and unloading 459,677 heads of imported livestock, which is a 181.64 per cent increase, as these numbers strengthen the Saudi imports and exports, along with catalysing economic growth in Saudi Arabia.