Saudi Arabia Sets New Requirements to Speed Up Loading, Handling at Ports

Saudi Port Authority sets new requirements to speed up the loading and handling work (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Port Authority sets new requirements to speed up the loading and handling work (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
20

Saudi Arabia Sets New Requirements to Speed Up Loading, Handling at Ports

Saudi Port Authority sets new requirements to speed up the loading and handling work (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Port Authority sets new requirements to speed up the loading and handling work (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi ports will require transport companies for adequate means of transport to speed up the loading and handling work, sources informed Asharq Al-Awsat.

Mawani recently issued a decision mandating cargo owners to use pallets to stow goods imported to the Kingdom via containers as of the beginning of next year.

The new resolution will ensure the efficiency of port services, ease of handling with specialized equipment, a streamlined transfer process, faster customs clearance, an improved customer experience, and avoidance of damaged goods.

King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam called on the private sector and transport companies to secure a sufficient number of means of transport upon the arrival of ships loaded with their cargoes to reduce demurrage.

King Abdulaziz Port authorities issued new orders after the lack of commitment of some transport companies contracted by owners of imported goods to receive their shipments directly from the ships.

It led to low rates of handling ships anchored in the port and waiting on the berth for more extended periods.

Mawani played a significant part in boosting the competitiveness of the Kingdom's economy, providing an array of growth catalysts for promoting the maritime sector.

It also seeks to fulfill the demands of national development despite the challenges facing global trade and the logistics industry, aiming to strengthen the shipping networks which connect the Kingdom to the East and West while increasing the overall throughput volumes.

Mawani announced it had achieved a record-breaking performance by Saudi ports until August 2022, handling 212.4 million tons with a 13.59 percent increase rate compared to 187 million tons recorded the previous year.

Data showed that general cargo increased by 8.9 percent to reach 5.7 million tons, solid bulk recorded a growth of 7.1 percent to get 32.7 million tons, while liquid bulk increased by 24.4 percent to reach 120 million tons compared to last year.

Saudi ports, which handle 90 percent of the Kingdom's exports and 70 percent of its imports, received 538.2 thousand vehicles between January and August, 16 percent higher than last year.

Passenger traffic also increased during the same period, with a 42.8 percent to reach 610,000 passengers, compared to 427,000 for the same period in 2021.

Livestock witnessed a 5.42 percent jump in volumes to reach 2.9 million heads compared to 2.8 million heads in 2021 due to optimized productivity and performance and enhanced operational and logistical capabilities of Saudi ports.

These remarkable figures reflect a tremendous transformation in Saudi ports' performance as an outcome of the initiatives to develop the maritime sector, which aim to create solutions, operating models, and various frameworks to stimulate growth and enable investment.

It also seeks to extend the exemption period for general cargo to 21 days and enhance operational efficiency by restructuring procedures and implementing the latest technology.

The operational growth also demonstrates the adaptability of Mawani's strategies to global changes and its capability to confront challenges and strike partnerships with the private sector.

It comes in line with the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS) to position Saudi Arabia as a global logistics hub that connects three major continents.



Trump Exempts Mexico Goods from Tariffs for a Month, but Doesn’t Mention Canada

Construction workers are seen on the site of a new development in Long Beach, California, March 5, 2025. (AFP)
Construction workers are seen on the site of a new development in Long Beach, California, March 5, 2025. (AFP)
TT
20

Trump Exempts Mexico Goods from Tariffs for a Month, but Doesn’t Mention Canada

Construction workers are seen on the site of a new development in Long Beach, California, March 5, 2025. (AFP)
Construction workers are seen on the site of a new development in Long Beach, California, March 5, 2025. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Mexico won't be required to pay tariffs on any goods that fall under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade until April 2, but made no mention of a reprieve for Canada despite his Commerce secretary saying a comparable exemption was likely.

"After speaking with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, I have agreed that Mexico will not be required to pay Tariffs on anything that falls under the USMCA Agreement," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "This Agreement is until April 2nd."

Earlier on Thursday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the one-month reprieve on hefty tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and Canada that has been granted to automotive products is likely to be extended to all products that comply with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade.

Lutnick told CNBC he expected Trump to announce that extension on Thursday, a day after exempting automotive goods from the 25% tariffs he slapped on imports from Canada and Mexico earlier in the week.

Trump "is going to decide this today," Lutnick said, adding "it's likely that it will cover all USMCA-compliant goods and services."

"So if you think about it this way, if you lived under Donald Trump's US-Mexico-Canada agreement, you will get a reprieve from these tariffs now. If you chose to go outside of that, you did so at your own risk, and today is when that reckoning comes," he said.

Nonetheless, Trump's social media post made no mention of a reprieve for Canada, the other party to the USMCA deal that Trump negotiated during his first term as president.

Lutnick said his "off the cuff" estimate was that more than 50% of the goods imported from the two US neighbors - also its largest two trading partners - were compliant with the USMCA deal that Trump negotiated during his first term as president.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Lutnick's comments "promising" in remarks to reporters in Canada.

"That aligns with some of the conversations that we have been having with administration officials, but I'm going to wait for an official agreement to talk about Canadian response and look at the details of it," Trudeau said. "But it is a promising sign. But I will highlight that it means that the tariffs remain in place, and therefore our response will remain in place."

Lutnick emphasized that the reprieve would only last until April 2, when he said the administration plans to move ahead with reciprocal tariffs under which the US will impose levies that match those imposed by trading partners.

In the meantime, he said, the current hiatus is about getting fentanyl deaths down, which is the initial justification Trump used for the tariffs on Mexico and Canada and levies on Chinese goods that have now risen to 20%.

"On April 2, we're going to move with the reciprocal tariffs, and hopefully Mexico and Canada will have done a good enough job on fentanyl that this part of the conversation will be off the table, and we'll move just to the reciprocal tariff conversation," Lutnick said. "But if they haven't, this will stay on."

Indeed, Trudeau is expecting the US and Canada to remain in a trade war.

"I can confirm that we will continue to be in a trade war that was launched by the United States for the foreseeable future," he told reporters in Ottawa.