Ammon News - Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT) handled 427,000 containers carrying imported goods to Jordan in 2024, showing a slight decline from 445,000 in 2023, according to statistical data from the Jordanian Logistics Association (JLA).

Meanwhile, exports saw a more significant drop, with 109,000 containers shipped from Jordan, compared to 125,000 in 2023, marking a 13% decrease.

Despite these declines, the port experienced a positive trend in the latter part of the year. Container arrivals surged in November and December 2024, showing a notable recovery. November saw an increase of 15.7%, with 42,562 containers compared to 36,790 in the same month in 2023. December recorded a 28.6% increase, with 40,883 containers, up from 31,770 in December 2023.

Nabil Khateeb, JLA President, attributed the overall 4% decline in container traffic to the challenging regional conditions, including maritime instability in the Red Sea and the ongoing conflict in Gaza. He considered this decline acceptable given the circumstances and expressed optimism about the recovery trends observed in the second half of the year.

Khateeb noted that the drop in export containers could be linked to weak purchasing power in key markets, increasing competition for Jordanian products, and a shift towards land transport for exports to Gulf countries.

Additionally, he pointed out that shipping rates have remained high, largely due to disruptions caused by the Red Sea crisis, which has led many international shipping lines to reroute through the Cape of Good Hope.

The Jordanian Logistics Association, established in 2007, serves to represent professionals in Jordan’s shipping sector, promote competitiveness, and protect the interests of freight forwarders and logistics providers.

The association is also the official representative of the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) in Jordan, a global non-governmental organization founded in Switzerland in 1926. Petra