AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Jordan's Aqaba Port is no longer merely a maritime gateway for supplying the needs of this country's domestic market but is gradually becoming one of the main centers of regional trade. A process stemming from the disruption in traditional shipping routes and the desire of companies and importers to find safer and more flexible routes.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, transit trade is considered the biggest beneficiary of this development, because war and regional tensions have forced companies and importers to reconsider transportation routes and pushed them to seek routes far from high-risk areas, especially the Strait of Hormuz.
Aqaba; The New Route for Goods to Iraq
From the city of Aqaba in southern Jordan, maritime cargo begins its journey and is then transferred via land routes to various regional markets, especially Iraq, as well as Syria and Lebanon.
Aqaba's geographical location allows this route to bring part of the goods that previously reached Iraq through Persian Gulf ports into this country via an alternative route.
Statistics for the first half of this year show the dimensions of this transformation. Transit activity at Aqaba Port has increased by 155 percent compared to the same period last year. Also, the number of containers passing through Aqaba's container terminal has exceeded 60,000 standard containers, while this figure was about 23,000 containers in the same period last year.
But the clearest change is seen in the trade of goods destined for Iraq. The number of containers that reached Iraq through Jordan in July of this year increased to about 37,000 containers. While this figure was only about 3,600 containers in July last year. That is, an increase of nearly 900 percent has occurred in this sector.
A Leap in Cargo Movement
Aqaba Port's boom is not limited to the container sector. The movement of dry bulk goods and cargo, including grains, food, and industrial raw materials, also increased by more than 40 percent in July, reaching a volume of about 666,000 tons.
The liquefied gas port also witnessed increased activity and received about 370,000 tons of cargo from the beginning of the year until July, showing a growth of nearly 12 percent compared to the same period.
Also, the volume of operations at Aqaba Port's oil and gas centers in the first half of this year increased by more than 40 percent and exceeded 2 million tons. This increase was mainly influenced by the growth in unloading of crude oil and petroleum products and the increase in maritime transport of fuel and petroleum derivatives.
The Trade Route Shift Is No Longer Temporary
In the container sector, the growth of transit activity from the beginning of the year until July reached about 180 percent. An indicator showing that the shift in trade routes is no longer a temporary phenomenon or limited to a specific sector.
This development indicates a redesign of part of the region's supply chains. Part of the goods that now reach Iraq previously entered through Persian Gulf ports, but now their route has changed and they enter Iraqi territory through Aqaba Port and then by land.
From this perspective, Aqaba's importance is not only because this port is considered Jordan's only maritime port, but its ability to play a role as a regional logistical gateway is more important. A gateway that connects maritime routes to the land markets of the Levant and the Mesopotamia region.
Aqaba; The Winner of Increased Risk on Traditional Routes
With the continuation of dangers threatening traditional shipping routes, companies are moving more than before toward diversifying transportation routes and reducing dependence on passages that are more exposed to disruption.
In such circumstances, the importance of Aqaba Port also increases. Because the more the cost and risk of using traditional trade routes increase, the more the value of ports and routes that can offer alternative options increases.
Thus, Jordan's Aqaba Port is transitioning from the role of a national gateway to becoming one of the growing nodes of the regional trade network.
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