Qatar witnessed a double-digit year-on-year growth in ships arrival in May 2025, reflecting in brisk growth, notably in the volumes of containers, general and bulk cargo, building materials and livestock through Mesaieed, Doha and Al Ruwais ports; indicating the country’s growing prominence in the international trade, according to the official data.
As many as 294 ships arrived in three ports, which reported 21.49% and 25.11% surge year-on-year and month-on-month respectively, said the figures released by Mwani Qatar.
A total of 1,255 vessels call were reported through the three ports in January-May 2025.
Hamad Port is Qatar’s main seaport, located south of Doha in the Umm Al Houl area and whose strategic geographical location offers opportunities to create cargo movement towards the upper Gulf.
The container movement through three ports amounted to 142,843 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), shooting up 15.63% and 10.22% on annualised and monthly basis respectively in the review period. The three ports together handled as many as 609,328 TEUs in the first five 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 general and bulk cargo handled through the three ports amounted to 170,515 freight tonnes in May 2025, which sunk 18.31% year-on-year but was up 2.28% on and monthly basis.
The container and cargo trends through the ports reflect the positive outlook for the country’s non-oil private sector, which has been projected to grow faster than the hydrocarbons, as per various estimates.
In line with the objectives of Qatar National Vision 2030, Mwani Qatar continues to implement its ambitious strategy to enhance the maritime sector’s contribution to diversifying the national economy and strengthening the county’s position as a vibrant regional trade hub.
The three ports together handled 667,119 freight tonnes of general and bulk cargo in the first five months of this year.
The three ports were seen handling 80,396 livestock this May, which showed 109.51% and 215.46% surge on yearly and monthly basis respectively. The ports had cumulatively handled as many as 336,506 heads in the first five months of this year.
The building materials traffic through the three ports stood at 82,745 tonnes in May 2025, which zoomed 106.38% and 43.22% year-on-year and month-on-month respectively. The three ports had reported a total of 300,236 tonnes of building materials handled in the first five months of this year.
The three ports handled as many as 6,783 RORO in May 2025, which registered 36.2% and 27.38% plunge year-on-year and month-on-month respectively. The ports had cumulatively handled a total of 46,934 units in January-May 2025.
Qatar’s automobile sector has been witnessing stronger sales, notably in heavy equipment, private motorcycles and private vehicles, according to the data of the National Planning Council.
Source: Gulf Times