The total volume of cargo handled through the ports of Saudi Arabia has exceeded 331 million tons during the year 2024.
Outbound cargo reached 222.4 million tons, marking a 9.3 percent increase compared to 2023, while inbound cargo totaled approximately 108.9 million tons, reflecting a 3.6 percent increase from the previous year.
This was revealed in the 2024 Maritime Transport Statistics Publication released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) on Thursday.
King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu ranked the Kingdom’s top export port by volume, accounting for 51.1 percent of total exports. Meanwhile, King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam led with a 35 percent share, receiving a total of 38 million tons or about 35 percent of all imports.
The report noted that the total quantity of cargo handled exceeded 334 million tons. King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu ranked as the top port, accounting for 39.7 percent, while King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam ranked first in handling standard containers, with a share of 51.1 percent. Liquid bulk cargo also topped the list of handled goods, with a total exceeding 177 million tons.
Data showed the total quantity of transshipment cargo at the Kingdom’s ports exceeded 21 million tons, consisting of 10.4 million tons unloaded and nearly 11 million tons loaded, amounting to approximately two million standard containers in total.
A total of 8,693 ships arrived at the Kingdom’s ports. Jeddah Islamic Port received the highest number with 3,805 ships, followed by King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam with 1,980 ships. NEOM Port ranked third with 951 ships.
The data showed that the total number of inbound and outbound containers exceeded 2.5 million, including 1.3 million outbound containers and more than 1.2 million inbound containers. The results also indicated that the total number of passengers arriving and departing through the Kingdom’s ports reached approximately 912800, reflecting a 19.6 percent decrease compared to 2023. Jazan Port recorded the highest passenger traffic with over 485100 passengers.
According to GASTAT, the Maritime Transport Statistics Publication is an annual publication that provides a comprehensive set of statistics, serving as a reliable foundation for conducting studies and research in the field of maritime transport. The publication is based on administrative data from the Saudi Ports Authority, the Economic Cities and Special Zones Authority, NEOM, and the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu.
Source: The Saudi Gazette
