Saudi ports saw a significant increase in container traffic in 2023, with a 14.6% rise compared to the previous year, as per the General Authority for Statistics. Total container traffic surpassed five million TEUs, with inbound containers at 3.4 million TEUs and outbound containers at nearly 2.2 million TEUs.
Key ports and their container handling figures for 2023 include:
- Jeddah Islamic Port: 2,457.8k inbound, 1,588.5k outbound
- King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam: 827.6k inbound, 248.3k outbound
- Yanbu Commercial Port: 0.0k inbound, 0.0k outbound
- Jubail Commercial Port: 2.1k inbound, 272.4k outbound
- King Abdullah Port: 114.8k inbound, 86.6k outbound
- Port of NEOM: 1.6k inbound, 0.0k outbound
The annual ship traffic increased by 34%, with over 19,000 ships navigating Saudi ports. King Fahad Industrial Port in Yanbu led with 6,538 ships, followed by Jeddah Islamic Port with 4,411 ships, and King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam with 2,516 ships.
Passenger traffic also grew by nearly 12%, reaching 1.13 million in 2023. Jazan Port recorded the highest passenger numbers with 484,600 arrivals and departures.
Here are the passenger figures by port:
- Jazan Port: 241.7k arrivals, 242.9k departures
- Jeddah Islamic Port: 227.9k arrivals, 186.9k departures
- Port of NEOM: 98.0k arrivals, 91.2k departures
- King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam: 23.1k arrivals, 23.1k departures
In 2023, outbound cargo volumes reached 203.5 million tons, and inbound cargo volumes were at 105.2 million tons.
The Maritime Transport Statistics Publication serves as a crucial resource for maritime transport studies and research, offering detailed statistics on passenger traffic, cargo volumes, and ship traffic at Saudi ports.