Container traffic surge at Khalifa bin Salman Port in August boosts Bahrain’s economic upswing

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

Email: mail@Newsofbahrain.com

The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications has announced a significant increase in container traffic at Khalifa bin Salman Port during August 2024, indicating a positive shift in the country’s maritime trade activity.

The port handled 39,409 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in August, a remarkable 37.2% increase compared to the 28,719 TEUs recorded in July.

This surge suggests a notable revival in maritime trade and could reflect an improvement in the overall economic activity within the Kingdom.

While container traffic saw a substantial rise, general cargo experienced a decline of 58.3%, dropping from 113,526 tons in July to 47,296 tons in August.

Similarly, vehicle traffic also saw a decrease of 45.2%, falling from 4,776 vehicles in July to 2,618 vehicles in August.

Growth Despite these declines, the number of vessels arriving at the port saw a slight increase, rising from 57 to 60, marking a 5.3% growth.

In the realm of port affairs, the number of commercial licenses issued rose from 17 in July to 20 in August, representing a 17.6% increase, potentially indicating a favourable business environment in Bahrain.

However, the number of inspections decreased from 12 to 10, and the number of vessel departure certificates issued fell from 194 to 172.

Private berth handling Regarding private berth handling, liquid cargo saw a 17.1% increase, rising from 718,538.568 metric tons in July to 841,856.36 metric tons in August.

Conversely, solid cargo experienced a 25.9% decrease, falling from 2,378,308 metric tons to 1,762,736.38 metric tons.

The positive trend in container traffic, coupled with the increase in commercial licenses, points towards a promising outlook for Bahrain’s maritime industry and its broader economic landscape.