Riyadh, April 09, 2024, In March 2024, the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) witnessed significant growth in various aspects of maritime activities, reflecting the success of its efforts in advancing the maritime sector and logistics services in alignment with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS). Here are the key highlights from Mawani's recent report:
1. Container Operations:
- Imported containers increased by 12.48%, reaching 265,148 TEUs compared to 235,738 TEUs in March 2023.
- Exported containers also saw an 8.56% increase, reaching 212,672 TEUs compared to 195,895 TEUs in 2023.
- Handled containers totaled 561,484 TEUs, marking a decrease of 9.85% compared to 622,856 TEUs in the previous year.
- Container transshipment decreased by 48.21%, totaling 142,497 TEUs compared to 275,150 TEUs in 2023.
2. Cargo Handling:
- Total cargo handled increased by 3.77%, reaching 19,645,292 tons compared to 18,931,624 tons in March last year.
- General cargo increased significantly by 53.74% to 804,837 tons compared to 523,513 tons in 2023.
- Liquid bulk cargo increased by 8.10%, totaling 14,742,797 tons compared to 13,637,516 tons in 2023.
- However, solid bulk goods decreased by 14.11%, reaching 3,940,701 tons compared to 4,588,115 tons in the previous year.
3. Other Maritime Activities:
- Discharge of cattle increased by 54.12%, totaling 961,131 cattle heads compared to 623,644 cattle heads in 2023.
- Maritime traffic decreased slightly by 3.01%, with 968 ships compared to 998 ships in 2023.
- The number of passengers decreased by 51.01%, reaching 62,507 passengers compared to 127,599 passengers in the previous year.
- Car shipments also decreased by 17.34%, totaling 67,638 compared to 81,826 in 2023.
Furthermore, Mawani's infrastructure development initiatives, such as the SAR7 billion investment in container terminals at King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam and the development of Jeddah Islamic Port North Container Terminal with a SAR1 billion investment, have contributed significantly to the Kingdom's maritime connectivity and achievements, as evidenced by the 248 points scored in the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index according to the UNCTAD report for Q1 2024.
