Saudi ports have witnessed a significant growth in cargo throughput tonnage during the first quarter of 2022, as it increased by 7.18% with a total of more than 74 million tons, as well as the number of transshipment containers which increased by 5.91% with a total of 1.3 million TEUs, that is in comparison to numbers recorded during the same time of last year, which highlights the exceptional efficiency of logistics services at Saudi ports. According to statistics published by the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani), Saudi ports have also recorded an increase in the numbers of cars by 12.85% with a total of 219,488 cars, while the numbers of passengers increased by 61.70% with a total of 258,076 passengers, as well as the number of vessels which increased by 0.28% with a total of 3,186 vessels. On the other hand, Saudi ports have recorded a decrease in container throughput which declined by 1.27% with a total of 2.5 million containers, as the number of imported livestock decreased by 57.75% with a total of 336,581 head of livestock. While Saudi ports have set these milestones as a result of development in the national economy, and growth of trade activity in the Kingdom, as well as forming strategic partnerships with global major shipping lines, all of which contributes to strengthening Saudi ports connections with eastern and western ports, and increasing throughput volumes. Through the launch of initiatives such as Smart Ports, which targets automating operations at Saudi ports, by incorporating 5G technology within the logistics sector, Mawani aims to reinforce Saudi Arabia's position as a global logistics hub, and a link that connects the three continents, to continue the journey of developing a sustainable and prosperous maritime sector, in line with the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy as well as Saudi Vision 2030.
