On September 18, 2026, the Saudi Bureau of Statistics released port statistics for the full year of 2025: Saudi Arabia's inbound and outbound container throughput increased by 52.9% year-on-year to approximately 3.89 million TEUs, including 1.94 million TEUs for outbound containers and 1.95 million TEUs for inbound containers. The total throughput of port cargo for the year exceeded 341 million tons, with 227 million tons of outbound cargo increasing by 2.1% year-on-year and 114 million tons of inbound cargo increasing by 5% year-on-year. Saudi ports are becoming a core hub node in the global trade restructuring. From Jeddah to Yanbu, from Dammam to King Abdullah Port, the Red Sea Shipping is gradually repairing and adding continuous infrastructure investment to the port, accelerating the formation of a logistics artery connecting China and the Middle East.

Yanbu Jida Daman has clear division of labor

Each port has clear functional division of labor, forming a differentiated cargo flow pattern. On the export side, King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu is the core main force, with a total of 115 million tons of goods shipped throughout the year, accounting for 50.7% of the country's total exports. The port is located along the Red Sea coast and is the endpoint of the western line of the Saudi Arabian East West oil pipeline, as well as a key channel for crude oil to bypass the Strait of Hormuz for export. In terms of container business, Jeddah Islamic Port remains the largest container port in Saudi Arabia, accounting for 47.3% of the country's container volume. By 2025, a total of 2677 ships will be docked, and the port area covers an area of 12.5 square kilometers with 62 berths. It is a top logistics and trade hub along the Red Sea coast. On the import side, King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam ranks first, with 39.2 million tons of incoming goods, accounting for 34.3% of the total amount of incoming goods in the country. Liquid bulk cargo is the largest cargo category in Saudi ports, with a total volume exceeding 144 million tons.

DP World expands and releases production capacity

The significant increase in Saudi Arabia's container throughput is driven by the gradual repair of shipping after the disturbance of the Red Sea route and the continuous investment in port infrastructure. The Jeddah Islamic Port South Container Terminal operated by DP World completed 221200 TEUs in July 2026, setting a record for the highest monthly throughput since its commissioning in 1999. The monthly export volume of 79720 TEUs also broke the record. In the first half of 2026, the throughput of the South Container Terminal increased by nearly 79% year-on-year, with a total of 390 ships docked. The monthly throughput level has exceeded that before the Red Sea crisis at the end of 2023. DP World and Saudi Ports Authority will complete the expansion of the South Container Terminal in March 2025, with a total investment of 3 billion Saudi riyals and approximately 800 million US dollars. The terminal's annual processing capacity will increase from 1.8 million TEUs to 4 million TEUs, with a long-term goal of reaching 5 million TEUs. Keywords: Middle East News Network, ports, cargo transportation, trade

China Saudi Arabia route encrypted and connected

The increase in cargo volume at Saudi ports and the intensification of shipping routes between China and Saudi Arabia are important driving factors. Multiple new air routes will be launched in 2026, connecting China's core ports with Saudi Arabia's two major hub ports. King Abdullah Port has added the MSC JADE route, which calls at domestic ports such as Nansha, Yantian, Xiamen, Ningbo, Shanghai, and Qingdao, with a single ship capacity of 15000 TEUs. Jeddah Islamic Port has added ONE RC2 route, connecting Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, and also serving ports in Jordan and Egypt. The Gemini Alliance AE15 and AE19 routes are anchored in Jeddah, passing through the Strait of Mandeb and the Suez Canal, connecting Qingdao, Ningbo, and Shanghai. China COSCO Shipping and Orient Overseas jointly operate the RES4 China Red Sea weekly premium route, which will make its maiden voyage to Xiamen Port in August 2026, achieving direct flights from Xiamen to Jeddah. Multiple main lines are stacked, and domestic ports in North, East, and South China have established direct shipping channels to Saudi Arabia. For Chinese exporters, there are more, more stable, and cost controllable sea freight options for goods shipped to Saudi Arabia or transiting through Saudi Arabia to Africa and Europe.Editor/Gao Xue