Qatar ports see robust year-on-year jump in cargoes, livestock and building materials movement in September 2023

Cargoes, livestock and building materials movement through Qatar's three main ports saw a robust year-on-year growth in September 2023, according to official statistics.The positive momentum in the country’s maritime sector is expected to continue in view of 12-month optimistic outlook, especially for the country’s non-energy private sector, as indicated by the latest purchasing managers’ index of the Qatar Financial Centre.The ports – Hamad, Doha and Al Ruwais – showed growth in terms of number of vessels, containers, general cargoes and livestock on monthly basis in the review period, according to the figures released by Mwani Qatar.The number of ships calling on Qatar's three ports stood at 266 in September 2023, which saw a 3.62% decline compared to the previous year period; whereas it reported 6.83% increase on a monthly basis.Hamad Port – which offers opportunities to create cargo movement towards the upper Gulf, supporting countries such as Kuwait and Iraq and south towards Oman – had seen as many as 145 vessels moored in the review period.During the first nine months of this year, as many as 2,057 vessels had called on the three ports.The general cargo through three ports amounted to 163,103 tonnes in September this year, showing a robust 23.31% and 1.86% expansion on an annualised and monthly basis respectively.Hamad Port – which features an intermodal transport network that offers direct and indirect shipping services to more than 100 destinations, facilitating efficient transportation and logistics services locally and abroad – handled as much as 159,538 freight tonnes of breakbulk.On a cumulative basis, the general cargo movement through the three ports amounted to 1.46mn tonnes during January-September 2023.The three ports handled as many as 28,577 livestock heads in September 2023, which zoomed 339.71% and 65.85% year-on-year and month-on-month respectively. The three ports together handled as many 347,027 livestock heads during the first nine months of this year.The building materials traffic through the three ports amounted to 45,079 tonnes in the review period, which shot up 64.74% on a yearly basis but was down 2.16% month-on-month. They had handled as much as 401,143 tonnes during January-September 2023.The container handling through three ports stood at 122,616 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), which fell 0.32% year-on-year but grew 2.23% month-on-month in September 2023. Hamad Port saw a total of 119,956 TEUs of containers handled in the review period.The container handling through the three ports cumulatively stood at 976,423 TEUs during the first nine months of this year.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 6,011 RORO in September 2023, which registered a 1.2% and 23.67% decline year-on-year and month-on-month respectively. Hamad Port alone handled 6,007 units in the review period. The three ports together handled as many as 60,092 vehicles during January-September 2023.