Saudi Arabia’s ports handled over 14.53 million tonnes of cargo in April, down 34.58 percent from more than 22.2 million tonnes in the same month of 2025.

General cargo amounted to 514,243 tonnes, with dry bulk cargo reaching 2,815,001 tonnes, according to a statement by the General Authority for Ports, known as Mawani.

The authority added that the number of containers handled declined by 18.65 percent to 508,801 TEUs, compared with 625,428 containers in the same period last year.

The figures come as Saudi Arabia continues to accelerate efforts to position itself as a global logistics hub under its National Transport and Logistics Strategy, investing heavily in port infrastructure and supply chain integration to capture a larger share of regional trade flows.

Imported containers fell by 9.96 percent to 233,586, while exported containers dropped by 37.89 percent to 145,190, Mawani said in its statement, adding that transshipment containers also decreased by 1.68 percent to 130,026, compared with 132,244 last year.

“Vehicle volume also fell by 43.40 percent to 53,938 vehicles, compared with 95,300 last year,” Mawani said.

Passenger numbers also fell by 34.27 percent to 70,752, compared with 107,638 passengers in the same period last year. The number of ships declined by 14 percent to 1,192 vessels, compared with 1,386 in April 2025.

Ports received 830,688 head of livestock, an increase of 21.80 percent compared with 682,022 head in the same period last year.

The ports authority also noted that refrigerated transshipment container volumes at terminals under its supervision rose in March by 6.66 percent to 148,192 TEUs, compared with 138,937 containers in the same period last year.

In April, the authority added MSC’s “Gulf Sea Shuttle 2” and “Gulf Sea Shuttle 3” services to King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam to strengthen regional trade connectivity and improve operational efficiency.

The services link the Saudi port with regional hubs including Hamad Port, Umm Qasr Port, Khalifa Port, Shuwaikh Port and Shuaiba Port, with vessel capacities ranging from 1,500 to 2,500 TEUs.

The latest data comes as global shipping routes continue to face disruption risks linked to instability in the Red Sea, a corridor that handles a significant share of global container and energy trade.
Source: Arab News