'Aqaba port sees decrease in container traffic amid Red Sea crisis'

The JLA reported that the port received 87,708 containers during the first three months of the year, marking a 20 per cent decline from the previous year’s figure of 109,674 containers, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Container exports from Aqaba also saw a drop of 29 per cent, with 22,836 containers recorded, compared with 32,128 containers in 2023.

President of the JLA Nabil Khatib attributed this decline to the ongoing maritime navigation crisis in the Red Sea region, particularly the Bab Al Mandab Strait, noting that many major global shipping lines have rerouted towards the Cape of Good Hope, leading to delays and increased shipping costs.

Despite these challenges, Khatib pointed to a positive trend in March 2024, citing a 9 per cent increase in imported containers compared with March 2023, adding that this increase brought the total to 36,979 containers, as opposed to 33,957 containers in the corresponding month of the previous year.

Khatib emphasised that this rise indicates “promising” developments, signalling the gradual return of goods coming through the Cape of Good Hope to the Port of Aqaba.

Khatib, who also serves as the first deputy president of the Amman Chamber of Commerce, highlighted a significant increase in incoming and outgoing shipping fees, noting that fees from the Far East surged by 200 per cent, while those from Europe and the US increased by 100 per cent.

The JLA, established in 2007, aims to represent workers in the shipping industry, foster a competitive environment, protect freight broker professionals, and enhance the operations of logistics service providers. 

The JLA is a member of the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations, a non-governmental organisation founded in Vienna in 1926.