The total tonnage handled in Saudi ports during the first half of 2010 amounted to 72.7 million tons, an increase of 6.88% compared to the same period last year, when imports have increased by 24.17% and exports decreased by 4.12%.
According to a fresh report by the Saudi General Organization of Ports, the Jeddah Islamic Port posted the biggest increase (25.17%) and accounted for the largest share of cargo (24.05 million tons) mostly containers of food, construction materials and other general cargo. The King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam came second among the commercial ports in volume (11.57 million tons), up 27.47%.
Regarding the industrial ports, King Fahd Industrial Ports in Jubail and Yanbu handeled 21.6 and 11.8 million tons respectively, accounting for the lion share of petrochemicals and refined products activities.
In terms of containers, its number has increased by 20.97%, and the total container handling at the end of June 2010 amounted to approximately 2.56 million TEUs.
