AMMAN — Transit container traffic through the Port of Aqaba surged by 160.8 per cent in the first seven months of 2026, driven by regional developments and shifts in international shipping routes, particularly increased trade flows to the Iraqi market, the Jordan Shipping Association said on Tuesday.

 

Mohammad Dalabieh, secretary general of the association, said operational data for the January-July period showed a "significant" shift in regional trade patterns, according to Al Mamlaka TV.

 

The number of transit containers handled through Aqaba reached 80,235, up from 30,763 during the same period in 2025, an increase of 49,472 containers.

 

Transit containers bound for Iraq recorded the sharpest increase, soaring by 933.1 per cent to 37,182 containers from 3,599 in the same period last year.

 

Total container handling at the port also increased by 3.2 per cent to 574,582 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), compared with 556,843 TEUs in the previous year.

 

Refrigerated transit containers rose by 546.8 per cent, from 936 TEUs to 6,054 TEUs, while total incoming refrigerated containers increased by 20.9 per cent to 22,572 TEUs.

 

To accommodate the increased demand, the port expanded its power plug-in capacity for refrigerated containers from around 700 to approximately 1,000 plugs.

 

Bulk commodities also recorded significant growth, particularly food-security items. Corn shipments increased by 89.2 per cent to 778,055 tonnes, barley by 49.4 per cent to 761,167 tonnes, wheat by 12.5 per cent to 616,643 tonnes and soybeans by 80.9 per cent to 331,562 tonnes.

 

Combined shipments of the four commodities reached 2.49 million tonnes, up 50.6 per cent year-on-year.

 

The increase in maritime traffic was also reflected in land transport through the Karameh-Treibil border crossing, where truck traffic rose by 131.2 per cent to 229,997 trucks from 99,491 during the same period last year.

 

Outbound loaded trucks to Iraq increased by 148.9 per cent, while inbound empty trucks rose by 148 per cent.

 

Dalabieh stressed the importance of maintaining the port’s operational capacity and infrastructure to sustain Aqaba’s competitiveness as a regional logistics hub amid continued shifts in navigation routes through the Bab Al Mandab Strait and regional transhipment ports.