Damietta Port Ship Calls Rise 18% in August as Cargo Throughput Grows
Shipping Arabia, October 2, 2026 – Damietta Port ship calls increased 18% year on year in August 2026, reaching 316 vessels compared with 267 in the same month of 2025. The increase came alongside a 6% rise in total cargo throughput to about 3.54 million tons, according to Damietta Port Authority data reviewed by Al Mal.
Container vessel calls rose 21% to 104 ships from 86 a year earlier. Dry bulk vessel calls increased 28% to 95 from 74, while general cargo vessel calls declined 17% to 35 from 42.
Liquid bulk vessel calls remained unchanged at 14 ships, while RoRo calls were also stable at four vessels. Meanwhile, the category covering regular and service vessels increased 36% to 64 ships from 47 in August 2025.
Damietta Port Ship Calls Accompany Higher Cargo Volumes
Total cargo handled at Damietta Port reached approximately 3.54 million tons during August, up from 3.34 million tons in the corresponding month last year. Performance varied significantly across individual cargo segments.
Traditional general cargo declined 44% to about 268,000 tons from 480,000 tons. In contrast, dry bulk cargo increased 11% to 1.62 million tons, compared with 1.46 million tons in August 2025.
Liquid bulk recorded the strongest growth among the major cargo categories, rising 113% to approximately 405,000 tons from 190,000 tons. RoRo cargo also increased sharply, reaching about 15,900 tons compared with 6,300 tons a year earlier, representing growth of 152%.
Containerized cargo by weight reached approximately 1.23 million tons, up 3% from 1.19 million tons in August 2025.
Container Numbers Decline Despite Higher Containerized Cargo Weight
Although containerized cargo tonnage increased, the number of containers handled by Damietta Port fell 13% year on year. The port handled about 130,000 containers during August, compared with approximately 148,600 in the same month of 2025.
Import containers declined 26% to about 50,000 from 67,600. Export container volumes moved in the opposite direction, increasing 2% to approximately 74,800 from 73,200 containers.
Other additional container movements totaled about 5,000 containers, compared with 8,700 in August 2025, a decline of 35%.
Regional Shipping Developments Support Vessel Traffic
A Damietta Port Authority official attributed the strong increase in vessel calls to developments around Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz. According to the source, those developments prompted a significant number of vessels carrying cargo from the Arabian Gulf region to pass through Damietta on voyages to and from Europe.
The official said August recorded the port’s highest increase in vessel calls, at 18%, adding that changes affecting international shipping routes had influenced vessel traffic patterns at transshipment ports.
The source also said Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk had recently increased the frequency of their calls at Damietta Port as relative calm returned to the Bab el-Mandeb area.
According to the official, the additional calls contributed to Damietta Port’s inclusion in services operated by the two shipping lines and strengthened maritime connectivity between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal. The source said this development supports Damietta Port’s position within international trade routes.
Source: Al Mal