Saudi port container traffic surges 52.9% as cargo exceeds 341 million tons 3 h ago

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s inbound and outbound container traffic increased 52.9 percent in 2025 compared with 2024, reaching approximately 3.89 million containers, according to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).

Outbound containers reached 1.94 million, while inbound containers totaled approximately 1.95 million.

The total volume of inbound and outbound cargo handled through Saudi Arabia’s ports exceeded 341 million tons. Outbound cargo reached 227.2 million tons, up 2.1 percent compared with 2024, while inbound cargo increased 5 percent to 114.3 million tons.

King Fahad Industrial Port in Yanbu accounted for the largest share of outbound cargo, representing 50.7 percent of the total with 115.2 million tons, while King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam led inbound cargo with 39.2 million tons, or approximately 34.3 percent of the total.

Overall cargo handled at Saudi ports exceeded 298 million tons in 2025.

King Fahad Industrial Port in Yanbu accounted for the largest share by weight at 33 percent, while Jeddah Islamic Port led in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), accounting for 47.3 percent of the total.

Liquid bulk cargo was the largest cargo type handled, exceeding 144 million tons.

Transshipment cargo handled at Saudi ports exceeded 97 million tons, comprising 84.1 million tons of loaded cargo and 13.1 million tons of unloaded cargo. The number of TEUs handled in transshipment operations also exceeded 2 million.

A total of 7,848 ships arrived at Saudi ports in 2025.

Jeddah Islamic Port recorded the highest number with 2,677 ships, followed by Jubail Commercial Port with 1,256 and King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam with 1,030.

Passenger traffic also increased, with approximately 1.1 million arriving and departing passengers recorded in 2025, up 20.1 percent compared with 2024.

Jazan Port recorded the highest passenger traffic with more than 489,600 passengers, followed by Jeddah Islamic Port with approximately 413,800 and NEOM Port with more than 187,000.

The number of cruise passengers reached 174,500 during the year.

In contrast, the total weight of unloaded and loaded cargo at Saudi ports exceeded 210.6 million tons, representing a 37 percent decline compared with 2024. Unloaded cargo reached 99.3 million tons, while loaded cargo totaled 111.3 million tons.