Container throughput at Saudi ports rose significantly last August, reaching 942,621 TEUs, which is a 14.46% increase compared to the 823,542 TEUs recorded during the same period last year. Similarly, the exported container throughput shows a 21.92% jump to reach 218,375 TEUs, compared to the 179,238 TEUs recorded last year, while the imported containers reached 235,449 TEUs, which is a 31.74% increase compared to the 179,047 TEUs recorded in 2021, as well as the transshipment containers which reached 488,181 TEUs to record a 4.93% increase compared to the 465,234 TEUs recorded during the same period last year. The monthly operational results translate the efforts undertaken by the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) to develop the maritime sector, enhance operational efficiency, as well as improve the legislative and regulatory environment by restructuring procedures, while strengthening partnership with the private sector by increasing shipping lines and building integrated logistics parks, in addition to the Smart Ports initiative which aims to automate operations and improve the customer experience by utilizing the latest technologies. Mawani focused on cooperating with all beneficiaries and relevant entities, to overcome challenges and find the best solutions in order to create an attractive investment environment, in line with the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS) to transform the maritime sector and strengthen Saudi Arabia's position as global logistics hub. Statistics for August 2022 further reveal a 17.39% growth in throughput volume to reach 29,342,656 tons compared to the 24,996,083 tons last year, which is a testament to the efforts dedicated towards maintaining the operational excellence while boosting the efficiency of the maritime sector in an effective and reliable manner. The Saudi ports also have recorded a 12.61% increase in general cargo volumes to reach 739,701 tons compared to the 656,860 tons during August 2021. Dry bulk cargo increased by 16.7% to hit 4,791,444 tons in comparison with the 4,105,626 tons last year. Whereas the liquid bulk cargo stood at 16,638,826 tons, a 19.97% increase from 13,869,304 tons in the previous year. With a gain of 0.21%, the number of vessels reached 972. Moreover, the imported vehicles increased by 15.64% to reach 72,698 from 62,864 vehicles recorded in August 2021. Food volumes also were 42.92% higher reaching 2,251,491 tons compared to last year's 1,575,316 tons. Moreover, Saudi ports received 74,383 passengers last month, which is a 0.01% increase compared to the previous year. The livestock volumes recorded a 248.73% growth with 149,230 cattle heads, in comparison to the 42,792 cattle heads recorded last year, aiming to cater to the local demand and strengthen food security in Saudi Arabia.
