RIYADH: Enhanced efficiency levels at Saudi ports have led to a 6.79 percent year-on-year surge in container throughput during June 2023. According to figures released by Saudi Ports Authority, also known as Mawani, the number of containers going through the Kingdom’s harbors stood at 685,645 twenty-foot equivalent units in June, up from 642,024 TEUs in the same month last year. This strengthens Mawani’s efforts to develop further the maritime transport system in line with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, which aims to consolidate the Kingdom’s position as a global logistics hub connecting three continents. The figures also showed that the number of exported containers grew 9.9 percent in June to reach 211,568 TEUs, compared to 192,507 TEUs in the same period a year earlier. On the other hand, the number of imported containers witnessed a 0.12 percent jump to hit 205,046 TEUs in June, up from the 204,798 TEUs recorded in the same month last year. The number of transshipment containers witnessed a 9.93 percent increase to reach 269,031 TEUs in June, compared to the 244,719 recorded in the corresponding period a year ago. Jeddah Islamic Port, in specific, achieved the highest historical handling rate in the total number of outgoing and incoming containers in June. Thethe number of containers handled by the port increased by 16 percent to reach 473,676 TEUs, compared to 406,913 TEUs in the same period of 2022. Meanwhile, Saudi ports handled about 25.3 million tons of goods in June, falling 6.23 percent from 27 million tons recorded in the corresponding month in 2022. Despite this, when it comes to the trade of food commodities in specific, there was an 18 percent jump in June to reach 1.85 million tons, compared to 1.57 million tons the same month last year. Moreover, maritime traffic increased by 4.75 percent, with about 993 ships recorded during June, compared to 948 ships in the same month a year earlier. Furthermore, Saudi ports received 67,579 passengers in June, reflecting an increase of 58.2 percent from the 42,701 passengers recorded in the same month in 2022. The number of vehicle units passing through the port stood at 68,511 cars during June, reflecting a 5.87 percent surge compared to the 64,713 automobiles recorded in the same month a year ago. Established in 1976, Mawani aims to elevate the maritime navigation network’s connectivity index with global shipping lines and boost the competitiveness of Saudi ports.