RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s ports witnessed an annual surge of 4.79 percent in cargo operations in August 2023, recording a total of 721,629 containers, according to official figures.
The Saudi Ports Authority, also known as Mawani, attributed the growth to ongoing development efforts aimed at improving operational and logistical performance.
In August 2023, the number of exported containers climbed by 5.98 percent to 218,051 containers, up from 205,740 containers in the same month a year ago.
Additionally, the number of imported containers climbed by 1.91 percent, reaching 226,738 containers.
Transshipment containers increased 6.29 percent yearly to 276,840 in August 2023, up from 260,447 in the same month of 2022.
Food cargo fell by 29.48 percent in August 2023, to 1,570,665 tons, compared to 2,227,104 tons in the same month last year.
Overall cargo handled by Mawani also decreased by 17.2 percent and totaled 24,118,698 tons of goods as opposed to 29,128,327 tons during the same period last year.
General cargo reached a total of 609,007 tons, solid bulk cargo accounted for 3,865,565 tons, and liquid bulk cargo amounted to 11,689,841 tons.
The ports also recorded a surge of 273.82 percent in livestock to 557,849 cattle heads in August 2023, compared with 149,230 in the same period last year.
Maritime traffic increased by 8 percent to about 1,026 ships compared to 950 in August 2022.
