Strong Container Growth At Saudi Ports In March

The network of ports supervised by the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) recorded a 13.61% increase in container handling during March this year, reaching 699,928 TEU compared to 616,079 TEU in the same period last year. Export container traffic jumped by 31.82%, to 280,341 TEU while the number of imported containers increased by 7.78%, to 281,216 TEU. However, transshipment containers recorded a 2.89% decline,138,371 TEU.

Total cargo throughput, including general cargo, solid bulk, and liquid bulk, rose by 8.69%, to 21.18 million tons compared to 19.49 million tons in the same month of last year. This includes 971,850 tons of general cargo, 4.5 million tons of dry bulk, and 15. 69 million tons of liquid bulk. Additionally, the number of vehicles handled increased by 33.5%, reaching 90,271 units compared to 67,620 in March last year.

Mawani has recently announced the addition of the new shipping service, Milaha Intra Gulf Express, to King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam. This shipping links Dammam with the ports of Umm Qasr in Iraq, Hamad in Qatar, Shuwaikh in Kuwait, Jebel Ali in the UAE, and Sohar in Oman, with a 1,015 TEU capacity vessel being deployed.

In another positive development, Dammam port operator Saudi Global Ports (SGP) recently celebrated the maiden call of the 13,000 TEU CMA CGM Iron, marking a significant milestone in the journey toward greener and more sustainable maritime operations. CMA CGM Iron is the first in a fleet of 12 dual-fuel methanol-powered vessels commissioned by CMA CGM and represents a major step forward in reducing carbon emissions and embracing clean energy solutions in global shipping.