The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) announced that its facilities handled over 14.5 million tons of cargo throughout April 2026. This performance underscores the ongoing role of the Kingdom’s maritime infrastructure in facilitating regional trade and logistics.
Total cargo throughput reached 14,532,970 tons during the month, marking a 34.58% decrease compared to the 22,213,709 tons recorded during the same period last year. Meanwhile, Mawani reported that general cargo reached 514,243 tons.
In the container segment, throughput reached 508,801 TEUs, representing an 18.65% decline from the 625,428 TEUs handled in April 2025. Furthermore, imported containers decreased by 9.96% to 233,586 TEUs. Exported containers also saw a reduction, falling 37.89% to 145,190 TEUs. Consequently, transshipment containers declined slightly by 1.68% to 130,026 TEUs.
Despite these broader fluctuations, the authority noted a specific gain in efficiency earlier in the quarter. Specifically, ports under its supervision recorded a 6.66% increase in transshipment containers during March 2026, reaching 148,192 TEUs.
Livestock Imports Show Strong Growth
In contrast to the general cargo trends, the livestock sector demonstrated significant resilience. Livestock imports through Saudi ports increased by 21.80% to 830,688 heads. This growth highlights the Kingdom’s robust supply chain for essential food security.
However, other sectors faced notable headwinds during the month. Vehicle throughput fell by 43.40% to 53,938 units. Additionally, the number of vessels docking at Saudi ports declined by 14% to 1,192 ships. Passenger numbers also dropped by 34.27% to 70,752.
Mawani continues to monitor these global maritime trends, as the authority remains committed to enhancing the Kingdom’s position as a global logistics hub in line with Saudi Vision 2030 objectives.
