RIYADH: Container availability is set to improve in Saudi Arabia after authorities extended fee exemptions on inbound empty containers at two key eastern ports, a move aimed at easing supply constraints and supporting exporters.
The Saudi Ports Authority, also known as Mawani, said it has doubled the exemption period on storage fees for empty containers from 10 days to 20 days at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam and Jubail Commercial Port.
The measure is aimed at incentivizing shipping lines to reposition more empty containers into the Kingdom, including surplus units held at other Gulf ports, improving availability for exporters. Lower storage costs reduce a key deterrent for carriers and could help smooth cargo flows and ease logistics bottlenecks.
This comes at a time of heightened regional uncertainty, with escalating conflict between the US and Israel and Iran disrupting navigation through the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most critical oil and gas chokepoints, through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies pass.
Daipayan Adhikari, head of strategic projects and logistics solutions at United Warehouse Co. Ltd., told Arab News the move directly addresses a critical bottleneck.
