The Port Authority of the country assured that container handling grew by 1.38% and recorded a figure of more than 600,000 containers during the last year

Saudi Arabian ports experience a growth during the month of May

photo_camera AFP PHOTO / HO /ARAMCO - Oil and gas facilities, Dhahran, eastern Saudi Arabia

The growth of the ports of Saudi Arabia continues to maintain a high rate of growth in container handling. The country is strongly committed to this key sector of the economy and for the third consecutive month in May, the nation manages to achieve good figures in spite of the current world situation. The Saudi Ports Authority says the country's ports have recorded a slight increase over the past month. According to the institution, container handling has risen to 1.38% more than last months figures and has reached more than 600,000 containers compared to last year's figures.

So far this past month, the country's official press agency has published that the number of containers leaving Saudi ports has increased considerably, with a rate of 2.57% and translating into more than 157.9 thousand containers issued. In contrast, inbound cargoes to the region experienced a slight drop of 0.64% and only 177,000 containers were counted as received

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Saudi Arabia therefore confirms that the initiatives put in place to increase activity in the sector are reaping good results. The figures recorded are part of the programme established by the Port Authority under the Transport and Logistics Strategy. This is a government plan whose sole aim is to provide quality and competitive operation and handling services, both regionally and internationally. Since the idea was initiated, the number of containers has increased to over 247,000 compared to last year, a 2% increase in port activity.

Thanks to the increased handling at the ports, it has become evident that Saudi Arabia has strategic plans that push the development of national economic activity and business movement in the area. The Port Authority states that the growth can increase the level of operational and logistical performance, thereby improving the competitiveness of the services provided at the wharves and leading to benefits for all workers.

The country has welcomed the good figures as a symbol of recovery despite the current situation. The war in Ukraine has led to several negative effects on shipping and global supply chains. But in the end, the nation has been able to overcome the events and register a considerable increase.

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Officials working in the ports of the region point out that this growth opens up new expectations for an increase in the economic level of the country. They say that the greater the arrival of containers, the greater the number of jobs and, therefore, the economic activity grows.  This recovery phase is another of the government plans implemented since 2016 to reform the national economy on a sustainable basis and away from oil exports, the basis of the Saudi economy.

Both the Saudi government and the plans of its main ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, are leading the nation to undergo a very positive economic transformation. For some years now, Saudi Arabia has been committed to diversifying its economy in key sectors, such as port activity, and in so doing has managed to move away from its dependence on oil as an economic base. As a result, the government is working to increase the contribution of logistics to annual revenues from non-hydrocarbon initiatives.

This growth has brought GDP to $59 billion, which is key to the development of Vision 2030. The main objective of this ambitious programme is to make Saudi Arabia the leading hub for logistics, passenger transport and goods movement services.

However, the Government estimates that the ports will contribute almost 70% of trade in other products to the economy, making this sector a key factor in Saudi activity. They also promise to be a fully sustainable and thriving industry with the aspiration of becoming one of the world's leading and most important global logistics operators. It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia has a network of 16 commercial ports with the highest GDP of all Arab countries, handling more than 13% of global trade

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