Doha, Qatar: Qatari ports witnessed a significant rise of 19 percent in container handling last month compared to July 2023.

“Container volumes moving through Mwani Qatar increased by approximately 19 percent during August 2023 compared to last July. Building materials, livestock and RORO witnessed a growth of 31 percent, 215 percent and 30 percent respectively,” Mwani Qatar announced yesterday on X platform.

According to Mwani Qatar, 249 vessels called on Hamad Port, Ruwais Port and Old Doha Port in August 2023. The ports handled 119,936 containers; 160,131 tonnes of general and bulk cargo; 7,875 vehicles; 17,231 heads of livestock; and 46,075 tonnes of building material last month.

Separately, QTerminals, the terminal operating company of Hamad Port, said that 148 vessels called on Hamad Port in August 2023. According to data released by QTerminlas, Hamad Port handled 118,204 containers; 102,263 freight tonnes of bulk cargo; 53,148 freight tones of breakbulk; and 7,868 vehicles in August 2023.

Qatar’s maritime sector is playing a vital role in transforming the country into a vibrant regional trade hub and contributing to the national economy. The General Cargo Terminal is designed to handle dry and cold storage cargo and has capacity to handle 7 million tonnes of general cargo such as machinery, steel, dry bulk, building materials, fertilisers, and petrochemicals products.

As many as 226 ships had called on Qatar’s three ports in July 2023 and the container handling through the three ports rose 5 percent month-on-month in July.

The Hamad Port also handled 95,582 freight tonnes of breakbulk and 66,900 freight tonnes of bulk in July this year. The three ports handled 6,044 vehicles and 5,468 livestock in July 2023.

The Qatari ports are fast becoming a hub of regional trade as state-of-the-art facilities witnessed a 32 percent year-on-year rise in container transshipment in the first half of the current year.

According to released figures, the three ports (Hamad Port, Ruwais Port, Doha Port) handled 633,029 containers, 771,883 tonnes of general cargo, 274,694 tonnes of building materials, 40,162 vehicles, 294,031 heads of livestock while 1316 ships called at these ports in the first half (January to June) of 2023.

Through Hamad Port, Old Doha Port and Al Ruwais Port, Mwani Qatar endeavors to be a major player in global shipping operations, achieving the objective of transforming Qatar into a vibrant regional trade hub. Hamad Port offers opportunities to create cargo movement towards the upper Gulf, supporting countries such as Kuwait and Iraq and south towards Oman. It is gateway to marine tourism and plays a major role in promoting marine tourism.

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