Riyadh, February 16, 2023, SPA -- Trade hubs overseen by the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) have witnessed a 24.05% increase in the flow of containers in January from a year earlier, registering a tally of 694,803 TEUs in comparison to last year’s 560,084 TEUs. A TEU is a 20-foot equivalent shipping container. Detailed container data released by the national maritime regulator showed a 17.8% spike in exported containers to 206,177 TEUs last month from 175,021 TEUs a year earlier. Imported containers also showed yearly upward momentum, posting a 26.08% annual rise from 220,119 TEUs to 174,582 TEUs. Leveraging the Kingdom’s unique location and increased trade connectivity, its ports handled an estimated 268,507 TEUs of transshipments, up 27.57% from 210,481 TEUs in the year before. Consolidated cargo figures for January point to a 9.55% gain in volumes to reach 26,360,132 tons from the preceding year’s total of 24,061,871 tons. Under this category, dry bulk freight touched 4,035,580 tons, up 3.95% from 3,882,371 tons in 2022, while liquid bulk volumes increased 5.55% from 13,695,645 tons to 14,455,664 tons in 2023. However, the general cargo decreased by 4.87% to reach 467,665 tons. The nation’s ports processed around 2,092,676 tons of food commodities in the 12 months through January, which represents a 12.48% jump over last year’s aggregate of 1,860,491 tons. Similarly, its berths received about 387,074 heads of cattle--a stunning 207.04% leap from 126,066 recorded last year. Moreover, the Kingdom’s car imports soared 63.9% to 100,365 units from 61,237 units a year earlier. Its shores also welcomed 1,004 vessels in the 12 months through January, a 13.45% climb from 885 ships in the prior year, with passenger traffic climbing to 99,132, up 27.22% from 77,919 during the same period last year. The Saudi maritime industry’s growth story continues amid game-changing steps taken by Mawani to upscale operational efficiency, modernize port infrastructure, and secure lucrative investments in line with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, a multisector vision that seeks to cement the Kingdom’s position as a premier trade and logistics destination on the global map. --SPA 19:55 LOCAL TIME 16:55 GMT 0033 www.spa.gov.sa/w1855297