427,000 imported goods containers loaded in Aqaba in 2024

AMMAN — The number of containers loaded with imported goods entering the Kingdom through Aqaba Container Terminal reached 427,000 in 2024, compared with 445,000 containers in 2023, according to the statistical data from the Jordan Logistics Association (JLA).

The number of containers loaded with goods exported from the Kingdom through the port last year totalled 109,000, compared with 125,000 containers in 2023, marking a 13 per cent decrease, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

According to the statistical data, the number of containers imported through the port in November 2024 rose to 42,562 containers, compared with 36,790 containers in the same period of 2023, an increase of 15.7 per cent.

Similarly, the number of containers in December 2024 rose to 40,883 containers, compared to 31,770 containers in December 2023, an increase of 28.6 per cent.

President of the JLA Nabil Khatib described the 4 per cent decline in the total number of imported containers as "acceptable," given the prevailing regional conditions, unstable maritime navigation in the Red Sea, and the repercussions of the Israeli war on Gaza.

Khatib noted that the second half of 2024 saw an improvement in container traffic at Aqaba Container Terminal despite the overall annual decline compared to 2023.

“We witnessed noticeable improvement in the last part of the year in terms of both imported and exported containers compared with the beginning of the same year,” he said, expressing hope for continued progress in 2025.

Khatib attributed the decline in exported containers last year to weak purchasing power in export markets, competition faced by some Jordanian products, and the use of land transport for exports to Gulf markets.

He further explained that shipping costs remain high, unchanged since the onset of the Red Sea crisis, as many major global shipping lines rerouted through the Cape of Good Hope.

Founded in 2007, JLA represents professionals in the shipping industry in Jordan, fosters a competitive environment, protects freight forwarding workers and develops systems for freight intermediaries and logistics service providers.

The association also represents the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations in Jordan, which was established in Switzerland in 1926 as a non-governmental organisation.