AMMAN — Total cargo handling across Aqaba’s ports increased by 12 per cent in the first nine months of 2026, reaching 19.68 million tonnes compared with the same period last year, according to data released by the Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC).

 

Container handling rose by 6.58 per cent to 786,950 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), while land and air passenger movements increased by 2 per cent to 422,487, Al Mamlaka TV reported.

 

Cargo handling at the New Aqaba Port increased by 64 per cent to 5.85 million tonnes, driven by a 45 per cent increase in grain handling to 3.62 million tonnes and a 60 per cent rise in coal handling to 518,911 tonnes.

 

Sugar handling at the port reached 810,402 tonnes, compared with none in the same period last year, while general cargo handling increased by 20 per cent to 894,875 tonnes.

 

Vehicle handling rose by 38 per cent to 94,530 units, while livestock handling fell by 38 per cent to 543,593 heads.

 

At the Aqaba Container Terminal, imported container throughput increased by 12 per cent to 415,382 TEUs. Imported transit containers surged by 391 per cent to 115,762 TEUs, up from 23,593 TEUs in the same period last year.

 

Non-transit imported containers declined by 14 per cent to 299,620 TEUs, while exported containers increased by 1 per cent to 371,568 TEUs.

 

Cargo handling at the Oil Jetty rose by 39 per cent to 3.43 million tonnes. Crude oil handling increased by 14 per cent to 1.22 million tonnes, diesel by 7 per cent to 799,561 tonnes and gasoline by 50 per cent to 805,468 tonnes.

 

Gas handling at the jetty surged by 176 per cent to 54,151 tonnes, while potassium hydroxide handling rose by 77 per cent to 21,363 tonnes and phenol handling increased by 309 per cent to 147,036 tonnes.

 

Chemical handling increased by 943 per cent to 46,511 tonnes, while mineral oils surged by 1,047 per cent to 32,715 tonnes. Vegetable oil handling reached 302,700 tonnes.

 

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) handling increased by 11 per cent to 413,181 tonnes, while liquefied natural gas (LNG) handling fell by 31 per cent to 464,837 tonnes.

 

Dry bulk handling rose by 8 per cent to 11.91 million tonnes, despite declines in several commodities. Phosphate handling fell by 19.1 per cent to 4.06 million tonnes, sulphur by 31 per cent to 528,033 tonnes and fertilisers by 11 per cent to 527,421 tonnes.

 

Liquid bulk handling increased by 16 per cent to 5.43 million tonnes, while general cargo handling grew by 25 per cent to 2.03 million tonnes.

 

Ship traffic at Aqaba's ports rose by 7 per cent to 2,060 vessels. The number of vessels carrying liquid bulk increased by 22 per cent to 196, while dry bulk vessels rose by 1 per cent to 278.

 

Container ship calls fell by 2 per cent to 438, while cruise ship calls dropped by 80 per cent to two. The port also received 95 vehicle-carrying vessels during the first nine months of 2026.