Saudi Arabia Ports

Saudi Arabia Ports and Waterways

Saudi Arabia Ports History and Overview

Historically, the area that is now Saudi Arabia was situated close to one end of the Silk Road, and the ports here made the many tribes in the region wealthy as they profited off the spice trade. Saudi Arabia is one of several countries without any rivers, however there are several wadis spread throughout the country that fill up during the rainy season of winter. However, due to their unstable nature, they are neither classified nor used as waterways. The Jeddah Islamic Port was the main gateway to pilgrims making the journey to the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina before the advent of jet aircraft, and is said to have been given that status by the third Rashidun caliph, Uthman. One of the first ports built under the kingdom was located in Khobar, and was used to transport petroleum to Bahrain. The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) was founded in 1976 as a government agency to oversee and maintain the kingdom's ports, and it currently maintains nine ports throughout the kingdom. Several other ports are not maintained by Mawani but by other entities, such as the King Abdullah Port in the King Abdullah Economic City near Rabigh.

Saudi Arabia Ports Detail

Like all states in the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia does not have any rivers or inland waterways. This has not stopped the kingdom from pursuing the development of a water transportation network, primarily constructed to support the transport of petrochemicals. The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) runs and manages the major ports in the country, overseeing their operations. There are some other ports in the kingdom managed by other entities, such as the King Abdullah Port. The largest port on the Persian Gulf, the King Abdulaziz Port, is located in Dammam.

Saudi Arabia Ports

Ports managed by the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani)

      Name City Located on Terminals Berths Capacity (containers) Area

• King Fahd Industrial Port Yanbu Red Sea 3 34 210,000,000 50 km2(19 sq mi)
• Jeddah Islamic Port Jeddah Red Sea 5 62 130,000,000 12 km2(4.6 sq mi)
• King Abdulaziz Port Dammam Persian Gulf 4 42 105,480,000 4.3 km2(1.7 sq mi)
• King Fahd Industrial Port Jubail Persian Gulf 5 34 70,000,000 2 km2(0.77 sq mi)
• Jubail Commercial Port Jubail Persian Gulf 4 16 36,000,000 4.1 km2(1.6 sq mi)
• Ra's al-Khair Port Ra's al-Khair Persian Gulf 5 14 35,000,000 19.2 km2(7.4 sq mi)
• Yanbu Commercial Port Yanbu Red Sea 2 12 13,500,000 3.9 km2(1.5 sq mi)
• Duba Port Duba Red Sea 3 6 10,000,000 11.25 km2(4.34 sq mi)
• Jizan Port Jizan Red Sea 1 12 5,000,000 4.3 km2(1.7 sq mi)