Qatar ports record higher vessel calls, containers, RORO and livestock in February

Qatar's maritime sector saw higher vessels call and brisk growth in movement of containers, RORO and livestock through Mesaieed, Doha and Al Ruwais ports this February on an annualised basis, according to the official estimates.

As many as 227 ships arrived in the three ports, which reported 14.65% year-on-year growth. However, it fell 9.92% month-on-month in February 2025, according to figures released by Mwani Qatar.

Hamad Port - Qatar's main seaport, located south of Doha in the Umm Al-Houl area and whose strategic geographical location offers opportunities to create cargo movement towards the upper Gulf - saw as many as 132 vessels call (excluding military) on the port in the review period.

As many as 479 vessels calls were reported through the three ports in the first two months of this year.

The container movement through three ports amounted to 113,186 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), shooting up 1.66% on a yearly basis but amid a 0.89% decline on monthly basis in the review period.

Hamad Port, the largest eco-friendly project in the region and internationally recognised as one of the largest green ports in the world, alone handled more than 113,000 TEUs of containers handled in February. The three ports together handled as many as 237,479 TEUs in January-February 2025.

The container terminals have been designed to address the increasing trade volume, enhancing ease of doing business as well as supporting the achievement of economic diversification, which is one of the most important goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030.

The three ports handled 7,599 RORO in February 2025, which registered 6.09% growth year-on-year but tanked 40.82% on monthly basis. Hamad Port alone handled 7,568 units in February this year. The three ports handled as many as 20,440 RORO in the first two months of this year.

Qatar's automobile sector has been witnessing stronger sales, notably in heavy equipment, private motorcycles and private vehicles, according to the data of the National Planning Council.

The three ports were seen handling 74,202 livestock this February, which showed 4.19% and 26.2% surge year-on-year and month-on-month respectively.

Hamad Port handled as many as 5,570 livestock heads in the review period. The three ports together handled as many as 133,000 livestock heads during January-February 2025.

The building materials traffic through the three ports stood at 40,408 tonnes in February 2025, which was down 1.2% on an annualised basis even as it surged 29.6% month-on-month. The three ports had reported a total of 71,587 tonnes of building materials handled in the first two months of this year.

The general and bulk cargo handled through the three ports amounted to 109,394 freight tonnes in February 2025, which plummeted 35.35% and 23.19% on yearly and monthly basis respectively.

Hamad Port – whose multi-use terminal is designed to serve the supply chains for the RORO, grains and livestock – handled as much as 51,685 freight tonnes of breakbulk and 37,269 freight tonnes of bulk in February this year.

The container and cargo trends through the ports reflect the positive outlook for the country's non-oil private sector.

In line with the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030, Mwani Qatar continues to implement its ambitious strategy to enhance the maritime sector's contribution to diversifying the national economy and strengthening the county's position as a vibrant regional trade hub.