Qatar’s Ports See Robust Yearly Growth in Cargo Movements and Building Materials in June 2025

Qatar’s maritime sector witnessed a strong year-on-year surge in cargoes and building materials in June 2025; indicating the strength of the country’s non-hydrocarbon private sector, according to the official data.

The general and bulk cargo handled through Hamad, Doha and Al Ruwais ports amounted to 143,101 freight tonnes in June 2025, which shot up 151.35% year-on-year but fell 18.52% on monthly basis, said the figures released by Mwani Qatar.

The container and cargo trends through the ports reflect the positive outlook for the country’s non-oil private sector, which has been projected to grow faster than the hydrocarbons, as per various estimates.

In line with the objectives of Qatar National Vision 2030, Mwani Qatar continues to implement its ambitious strategy to enhance the maritime sector’s contribution to diversifying the national economy and strengthening the county’s position as a vibrant regional trade hub.

The three ports together handled as much as 810,220 freight tonnes of general and bulk cargo in the first six months of this year.

The building materials traffic through the three ports stood at 25,742 tonnes in June 2025, which zoomed 14.39% on an annualised basis but tanked 55.44% month-on-month. The three ports had reported a total of 325,978 tonnes of building materials handled in January-June this year.

As many as 232 ships arrived in three ports, which reported 4.18% and 21.09% plunge year-on-year and month-on-month respectively. A total of 1,487 vessels call were reported through the three ports in January-June 2025.

Hamad Port is Qatar’s main seaport, located south of Doha in the Umm Al Houl area and whose strategic geographical location offers opportunities to create cargo movement towards the upper Gulf.

The container movement through three ports amounted to 133,461 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), shrinking 7.88% and 6.57% on annualised and monthly basis respectively in the review period. The three ports together handled as many as 742,789 TEUs in the first six months of this year.

The container terminals have been designed to address the increasing trade volume, enhancing ease of doing business as well as supporting the achievement of economic diversification, which is one of the most important goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030.

The three ports were seen handling 15,229 livestock this June, which plummeted 74.24% and 81.06% on yearly and monthly basis respectively. The ports had cumulatively handled as many as 351,735 heads in the first six months of this year.

The three ports handled as many as 9,883 RORO in June 2025, which registered 36.97% contraction year-on-year but soared 45.7% month-on-month. The ports had cumulatively handled a total of 56,817 units in January-June 2025.

Qatar’s automobile sector has been witnessing stronger sales, notably in heavy equipment, private motorcycles and private vehicles, according to the data of the National Planning Council.