Riyadh -- The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) registered a 5.31% increase in container handling across its ports in October 2023 when a total of 741,905 TEU were handled, a rise from the 704,486 TEU handled during the corresponding month in 2022.

 This achievement highlights Mawani's successful efforts to improve trade and logistics services, facilitate Saudi imports, and exports to global markets, and strengthen the Kingdom's international competitiveness.

 In October 2023, the number of exported containers surged by 9.72%, reaching 224,822 TEU, compared to 204,903 TEU during the same period of the year before. The number of imported containers rose by 5.32%, totaling 226,973 TEU, an increase from the 215,503 TEU recorded in October 2022.

 Transshipment containers recorded a 2.12% increase, with the figure reaching 290,110 TEU compared to 284,080 TEU in October 2022.

 These numbers reflect the appeal of the ports as investment destinations and the increased handling volume at the ports. They further affirm the robustness of supply chains and trade movement, in line with the aim of the national transport and logistics services strategy to strengthen the Kingdom's position as a global logistics hub connecting three continents.

 The ports handled 627,637 tons of general cargo, 4,575,549 tons of solid bulk cargo, and 11,415,187 tons of liquid bulk cargo. They also reported unloading 791,683 heads of livestock, a 297.94% increase over the 198,947 heads recorded during the same period of 2022.

 They also welcomed 59,810 passengers, which marks a substantial increase of 35.11% compared to the same month of 2022, which recorded 44,268 passengers.
 The ports also received 109,646 cars, a growth of 17.13% compared to the 93,611 cars recorded in the previous year. Maritime traffic also saw an increase, rising by 5.46%, with approximately 1,062 ships compared to 1,007 ships in October 2022.

 However, the total tonnage handled witnessed a decrease of 5.90%, amounting to 24,973,667 tons of goods, compared to the 26,539,845 tons during the corresponding period of 2022. The tonnage of foodstuff in October 2023 also experienced a decrease, down by 34.61% to 1,609,345 tons compared to the 2,461,009 tons recorded in October 2022.

 The Kingdom continued to improve its global stature and role in the maritime transport and logistics sector throughout 2023. It made a significant leap of eight places in the 2023 Lloyd's List of 100 Ports, reaching the 16th position in terms of annual throughput. Moreover, the Kingdom's score in the UNCTAD's 2023 Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI) increased to 77.66 points in Q3, up from 76.16 points in Q2.