Qatar ports post double-digit year-on-year growth in containers, cargoes in May

Qatar's maritime sector showed a robust performance in May 2022 on an annualised basis owing to a double-digit growth in cargo and container movement through Hamad, Doha and Al Ruwais ports, according to Mwani Qatar.
The general cargo handled through the three ports was 159,571 tonnes in May 2022, showing a 38.01% and 37.05% surge year-on-year and month-on-month respectively.
Hamad Port – whose multi-use terminal is designed to serve the supply chains for the RORO, grains and livestock – handled 103,934 freight tonnes of break-bulk and 52,500 freight tonnes of bulk in May this year.
On a cumulative basis, the general cargo movement through the three ports totalled 751,614 tonnes in the first five months of this year.
The container handling through three ports stood at 117,751 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), increasing 15.49% and 10.42% on yearly and monthly basis respectively in May 2022. The container handling through the three ports stood at 580,837 TEUs during January-May this year.
Hamad Port, which is the largest eco-friendly project in the region and internationally recognised as one of the largest green ports in the world, saw 115,801 TEUs of containers handled this May.
The port was ranked the third most efficient gateway in the world on the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence's 370-member container port performance index for 2021.
The number of ships calling on Qatar's three ports stood at 214 in May 2022, which was lower by 29.61% on an annualised basis and 13.36% month-on-month. As many as 1,118 ships called on three ports during the first five months of this year.
Hamad Port – whose strategic geographical location offers opportunities to create cargo movement towards the upper Gulf, supporting countries such as Kuwait and Iraq and south towards Oman – saw as many as 126 ships call on the port.
The three ports handled 6,914 vehicles (RORO) in May 2022, which registered 3.77% and 12% decline year-on-year and month-on-month respectively. They together handled as many as 31,557 vehicles during January-May 2022. Hamad Port alone handled 6,905 units in May this year.
With only few months to go for FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Doha Port is boosting efforts to transform the country into an attractive regional tourist destination serving global cruise ships as well as providing the facilities needed for the economic diversification being pursued by the Qatar National Vision 2030.
The building materials handled by the three ports amounted to 32,075 tonnes in May this year, which fell 41.01% on an annualised basis but was up 1.46% on monthly basis in the review period. A total of 225,280 tonnes of building materials had been handled by these ports in the first five months of 2022.
The three ports had handled 5,915 livestock this May, which plummeted 36.21% and 38.3% year-on-year and month-on-month respectively. Together, the ports handled 73,668 heads during January-May this year.