King Abdullah Port’s Box Volumes Rise by 21 Pct

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Port became the country’s second largest port in terms of container handling as it witnessed a rise of 21 percent in container volumes in 2017.

The port handled 1.69 million TEU by the end of 2017, up from 1.4 million TEU seen in the year before.

The increase in annual throughput was mainly due to the increased activity in imports and exports, amounting to an average of a 4 percent increase, with exports at 3 percent and imports at 5 percent.

“The port’s success in reaching second place in container handling in the Kingdom after only four years of operations proves that we are confidently moving towards becoming a main hub on the maritime navigation and logistics map, both locally and regionally,” Rayan Qutub, CEO of King Abdullah Port, said.

King Abdullah Port’s transshipment volume also surged by 28 percent in 2017, while the number of vessels received by the port increased to 820 vessels, with a 14 percent increase compared to 716 vessels received in 2016.

Qutub added that the port is moving forward with executing its development plans to utilize best practices in the field of developing and operating ports and logistics support services.