Saudi ports record 13.7% hike in containers

The total cargo tonnage handled at Saudi ports reached more than 24 million tons, via 962 vessels. (SPA)

RIYADH: The Kingdom’s ports recorded a 13.71 percent increase in container handling operations during November as compared to the same period in 2019, according to data released by the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani).
A total of 622,000 more containers were handled during November 2020.
The total cargo tonnage handled at Saudi ports reached more than 24 million tons, via 962 vessels. The total foodstuff cargo increased 30 percent (2.3 million tons) in November. Meanwhile, vehicles cargo reached more than 70,000, while livestock cargo rose by 47 percent to reach 173,000.
Saudi ports, with their diverse specialties, have an exceptional role in developing marine commerce and transporting travelers.
Mawani launched four shipping lines in 2020 to help increase the connectivity of Saudi ports with their regional and global counterparts.
The authority is also working on a project to increase the capacity at King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam by more than 120 percent to reach 7.5 million containers and add more than 4,000 jobs in the ports and logistical sectors.
Mawani also signed an agreement with the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC), a Public Investment Fund-owned company, to lease land in Yanbu Commercial Port to be used to develop the Kingdom’s biggest grain terminal.