Saudi Arabia rises to 15th in global container handling rankings: Lloyd’s List

Saudi Arabia has risen to 15th place in a global container handling ranking for 2024, reflecting its growing role as a logistics hub, according to a UK-based maritime journal.

Lloyd’s List, which provides news, analysis, and insight on the shipping industry, said Jeddah Islamic Port made notable progress, advancing to 32nd position from 41st in 2023. The port handled 5.58 million standard containers in 2023, marking a 12.6 percent increase from the previous year.

The Kingdom’s National Logistics Strategy aims to boost the sector’s gross domestic product contribution from 6 percent to 10 percent by 2030, underscoring the importance of robust port operations in positioning the country as a key logistics gateway across three continents.

Omar Al-Hariri, chairman of the Saudi Ports Authority, known as Mawani, said that the rising number of containers handled by ports in the Kingdom signifies its position as a global logistics powerhouse.

Lloyd’s List also included King Abdullah Port in King Abdullah Economic City in Makkah, which climbed to 70th place from 71st, processing 2.92 million containers, up 0.8 percent from 2022.

King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam rose to 82nd place, handling 2.30 million containers — a 13.1 percent increase from the previous year.

“In the Middle East, volume growth was reported across much of the region, but this was especially prevalent among the major oil-exporting nations, where a concerted effort to diversify economies continues to provide robust demand for containerized trade,” said Lloyd’s List.

The report said that seven Chinese ports secured positions in the top 10, with Shanghai Port topping the rankings, and Singapore Port and Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang province coming in second and third place, respectively.

Ports in the Chinese cities of Shenzhen, Qingdao, and Guangzhou followed in fourth, fifth, and sixth places. South Korea’s Busan ranked seventh, while Tianjin in China was eighth. Dubai Port and Hong Kong occupied the ninth and tenth spots, respectively.

“Throughout 2023, the fragmentation of volume growth was striking. Yet one core theme remained from the previous year. Once again it was the Chinese majors and ports in the Middle East where the lead share of growth was concentrated,” said Lloyd’s List.

It added: “China’s colossal export centers saw business continue to tick along, with trade activity energized by the full lifting of long-drawn-out pandemic border measures during the early stages of 2023.”