Shipments bound for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia temporarily suspended 

at the Port of Dammam

Hapag-Lloyd has temporarily suspended "acceptance of shipments" bound for Riyadh via the Port of Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The Port of Dammam is the container gateway to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital and largest city. Dammam's Port has seen a flood of container traffic moving to and from the region. In 2011, the port handled a container volume of about 329,000 TEUs between January through March. This year, that number has increased to about 417,000 TEUs for the same period.

The German carrier has imposed an "operational recovery charge" of $85 per 20-foot and $125 per 40-foot container on all import and export shipments handled at the ports of Jeddah and Dammam, starting July 20. "Riyadh-bound containers are experiencing prolonged delays due to the ongoing terminal congestion in Dammam Port. We shall resume bookings once the situation improves," Hapag-Lloyd stated.