King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam is racing to keep vehicles moving after an unusual wave of ship calls and a jump in car imports filled storage yards. The General Authority for Ports (Mawani) has launched an urgent push asking importers—especially auto dealers—to complete customs clearance and pick up vehicles as soon as they arrive, preventing bottlenecks in roll-on/roll-off operations and avoiding extra storage costs or delivery delays.
What’s driving the crunch at Dammam
The spike in incoming ships and cargo volume collided with slower-than-expected pickup from some importers, leaving vehicles parked in designated yards longer than planned. As storage space tightens, ship handling slows, and berth productivity comes under pressure, creating a feedback loop that can ripple through the automotive supply chain across Saudi Arabia.
Mawani is trimming clearance times in the yards and streamlining handovers so newly landed vehicles—already compliant with customs requirements—can be released immediately after discharge. The focus is on keeping operations fluid, protecting supply chains, and supporting Saudi Vision 2030 by solidifying the Kingdom’s role as a global logistics hub linked to major world markets.
Why importers and car dealers should act fast
Rapid clearance and immediate pickup are the quickest ways to relieve pressure on storage yards and keep vessels turning around on schedule. Mawani emphasizes that maintaining efficiency depends on cooperation from all users of the port, and the timely receipt of cargo is essential to prevent further congestion and costs.
July performance across Saudi ports
Saudi Arabia’s port network just posted a strong July, with Mawani reporting broad-based growth across the board.
Container throughput climbed 12.01% year on year to 722,502 TEUs, up from 645,019 a year earlier. Transshipment was the standout, surging 35.34% to 175,666 TEUs as mainline and feeder connections tightened their rotations. Export flows also accelerated, rising 12.86% to 275,098 TEUs, while imports edged up to 271,738 TEUs, a marginal 0.10% gain that still underscores steady domestic demand.
Cargo tonnage told a similar story of resilience. Total volumes across general cargo, solid bulk, and liquid bulk reached 21,180,445 tons, a 2.81% increase from the same month last year. Within that, general cargo totaled 461,958 tons, solid bulk hit 4,096,185 tons, and liquid bulk registered 16,622,302 tons.
Activity on the quays and terminals was brisk. Vessel calls rose 11.27% to 1,017 ships, reflecting healthy network deployment across Saudi gateways. Passenger movements jumped 41.70% to 73,953, signaling robust seasonal travel. Livestock arrivals also climbed 13.18% to 582,708 head.
One metric bucked the upward trend: vehicles handled fell 22.66% to 69,969, compared with 90,471 in July 2024.
Mawani’s urgent call to accelerate car clearance at King Abdulaziz Port is a focused response to a localized surge in automotive arrivals. Short-term measures—faster pickups and operational flexibility—are being paired with structural investments in vehicle logistics parks and new service links. Expect gradual normalization as agents clear the current backlog and expanded capacity comes into play, keeping Dammam on track as the Eastern Province’s automotive gateway.
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