Jeddah Port Hits 90% Capacity as Congestion Delays Containers by Weeks

Jeddah Islamic Port is running at around 90 percent yard capacity, with truck queues reaching five kilometres and containers waiting up to eight weeks for release.

The congestion has built up over recent weeks. Two pressures arrived at once: Red Sea diversions pushed more cargo through the port, and the annual Hajj season added extra demand. The combination overwhelmed the yard.

Saudi port authority Mawani has introduced a 15-day cap on in-transit storage. Most major carriers have paused or suspended in-transit bookings through Jeddah.

Trucks can wait up to three days just to enter the terminal.

Kuehne+Nagel advised shippers to treat delays of several weeks as a planning baseline. The Loadstar reported that carriers are holding back bookings until conditions ease.

To follow the vessel activity associated with port operations, read our guides to monitoring traffic around busy ports, tracking port arrivals and departures, and understanding ship-traffic congestion.