Saudi ‘Mawani’… Destination of Global Navigation Routes

Giant crane to lift containers in a Saudi port. Asharq Al-Awsat
Giant crane to lift containers in a Saudi port. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi ‘Mawani’… Destination of Global Navigation Routes

Giant crane to lift containers in a Saudi port. Asharq Al-Awsat
Giant crane to lift containers in a Saudi port. Asharq Al-Awsat

The total number of transshipment containers in Saudi ports have increased by more than 19 percent in the first half of 2018.

This new indicator confirms the performance, productivity and logistical and operational capacities of Saudi ports.

In this regard, Saudi Ports Authority, Mawani, reported that the total number of transshipment containers in the Saudi ports during the first half of this year has amounted to 1.03 million, an increase of 19.35% compared to 867,000 containers during the same period last year.

The increase comes within Mawani's efforts to enhance the Saudi port services, productivity and operational and logistic capabilities to achieve the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

Transshipment is the process of transferring containers from one vessel to another through the port to transport it to its final destination, which is more like a transit.

It is a value-added service that world major ports seek to add by attracting regular international shipping routes.

These developments come as a statistical report issued by Mawani has revealed that more than six million transshipment and standard containers were delivered during 2017, a high figure reflecting the vitality of the Saudi economy.

According to the same statistical report, the number of standard containers delivered during 2017 amounted to 4.47 million standard containers while the number of transshipment containers reached 1.93 million.

The report pointed out that the Saudi ports have witnessed a noticeable increase in performance and productivity indicators during 2017 compared to 2016.

This improvement is attributed to the efforts exerted by the ports and related parties that aim to strengthen the national economy and enhance the Kingdom's commercial position to achieve the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 by strengthening Saudi Arabia’s status as a global logistics center.



Gold Jumps, on Track for Best Week in Over a Year on Safe-haven Demand

FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
TT

Gold Jumps, on Track for Best Week in Over a Year on Safe-haven Demand

FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

Gold prices rose over 1% to hit a two-week peak on Friday, heading for the best weekly performance in more than a year, buoyed by safe-haven demand as Russia-Ukraine tensions intensified.

Spot gold jumped 1.3% to $2,703.05 per ounce as of 1245 GMT, hitting its highest since Nov. 8. US gold futures gained 1.1% to $2,705.30.

Bullion rose despite the US dollar hitting a 13-month high, while bitcoin hit a record peak and neared the $100,000 level.

"With both gold and USD (US dollar) rising, it seems that safe-haven demand is lifting both assets," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.

Ukraine's military said its drones struck four oil refineries, radar stations and other military installations in Russia, Reuters reported.

Gold has gained over 5% so far this week, its best weekly performance since October 2023. Prices have gained around $173 after slipping to a two-month low last week.

"We understand that the price setback has been used by 'Western world' investors under-allocated to gold to build exposure considering the geopolitical risks that are still around. So we continue to expect gold to rise further over the coming months," Staunovo said.

Bullion tends to shine during geopolitical tensions, economic risks, and a low interest rate environment. Markets are pricing in a 59.4% chance of a 25-basis-points cut at the Fed's December meeting, per the CME Fedwatch tool.

However, "if Fed skips or pauses its rate cut in December, that will be negative for gold prices and we could see some pullback," said Soni Kumari, a commodity strategist at ANZ.

The Chicago Federal Reserve president reiterated his support for further US interest rate cuts on Thursday.

On Friday, spot silver rose 1.8% to $31.34 per ounce, platinum eased 0.1% to $960.13 and palladium fell 0.6% to $1,023.55. All three metals were on track for a weekly rise.