Saudi Arabia's Ports Make Significant Leap In Global Container Handling Rankings

The Kingdom's ports have made notable advancements in their global ranking for annual container handling. According to the latest "Lloyd's List" report, the Kingdom's ports have moved up from 16th to 15th place among the world's top 100 ports.

Jeddah Islamic Port has shown remarkable progress, climbing from 41st to 32nd place. In 2023, it handled an impressive 5,586,074 standard containers, a significant increase from the 4,960,120 containers managed in 2022. This represents a growth rate of 12.6%.

King Abdullah Port also saw improvement, moving from the 71st to the 70th position. It handled 2,929,807 standard containers in 2023 compared to 2,905,306 in 2022, marking a modest rise of 0.8%. Meanwhile, King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam experienced a more substantial leap from the 90th to the 82nd place. The port handled 2,305,811 standard containers in 2023 compared to 2,038,787 in the previous year, achieving a notable increase of 13.1%.

Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) President Omar Hariri expressed satisfaction with these achievements: "The substantial growth rates and increased container handling volumes in the Saudi ports underscore the Kingdom's position as a global logistics powerhouse. The ports sector plays a pivotal role in supporting the national economy, enhancing export and trade activities, and facilitating the smooth movement of supply chains."

Strategic Investments and Developments

Mawani has recently concluded development and commercial support contracts for container terminals worth nearly SAR17 billion. These investments aim to boost container terminal capacity by over 70% at Jeddah Islamic Port and by more than 120% at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam.

The Kingdom's continuous progress in maritime navigation network connectivity is highlighted by its performance in the UNCTAD report. In 2023 alone, Saudi Arabia added 31 transcontinental shipping services and signed agreements for six new logistics zones with prominent national and international companies.

Additionally, four contracts for maritime services were inked with total investments exceeding SAR1 billion. These initiatives align with the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services and reinforce Saudi Arabia's standing as a global logistics hub.

"These achievements align with the objectives of the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services," Hariri added. "They solidify the Kingdom's standing as a global logistics hub."

The Kingdom’s strategic logistics partnerships with major international shipping lines have been crucial to this success. These partnerships are part of broader efforts to enhance operational efficiency across Saudi ports.

The ongoing improvements reflect Saudi Arabia’s commitment to becoming a leading player in global logistics under Vision 2030.

With inputs from SPA