Congestion plagues Dammam port
The port of Dammam in Saudi Arabia is seeing such severe congestion that shipping lines are considering bypassing the port, according to news reports out of the Middle East.
Dammam, located on the Persian Gulf, is the nearest container gateway to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital and biggest city.
According to a report Saturday in the Arab News, some ships have waited three weeks to unload their cargo due to a labor shortage in Dammam's King Abdul Aziz Port. However, a report the following day suggested the congestion is due to increased volume through the port. A port official told the newspaper that more ship calls and more of the ships' volumes are being loaded and unloaded at Dammam.
A war of words over the delays has also emerged between port officials and shipping agents, who officials say profit from the delays by charging shippers. The port also said the delays are largely from clearing empty containers to reenter the port.
The port is a key conduit for trade between Dubai and Saudi Arabia, with a huge proportion of transshipment at Dubai's Jebel Ali port destined for Dammam by feeder.
