Third quarter Saudi-Bahrain trade surges by 43%

Non-oil trade between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain increased by 43 per cent to $688.4m during the third quarter of 2020 compared to $481m during Q3 of 2019. The surge in trade between both countries follows the easing of restrictions on cargo transit over the King Fahd Causeway back in August.

Bilateral commerce between the two nations increased by 12 per cent past the $2bn mark during the first three quarters of 2020 to record a substantial year-on-year increase from the 2019 figure of $1.9bn.

Saudi Arabia is one of Bahrain’s key trading partners, with majority of imports and exports flowing via the King Fahd Causeway – a 25-kilometre bridge connecting both kingdoms by road.

Read: UAE-Bahrain trade returning to pre-Covid levels, H1 figures show

It was also recently announced that Bahrain Customs has installed high-tech artificial intelligence scanners at the King Fahd Causeway, automating data collection and allowing shipment inspections to take place before reaching the border.

With low manufacturing costs, Bahrain is fast emerging as a regional manufacturing and logistics hub, attracting global manufacturers including Arla, Reckitt Benckiser, Mondelez and Olayan Kimberley-Clark.

“The King Fahd Causeway acts as an essential link between Bahrain and the wider $1.5 trillion Gulf economy for millions of passengers and commercial trucks each year,” said Abdulhakim Al Shamary, board member of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI). “Despite Covid-19, commercial drivers have still been able to use the bridge enabling critical continuity for the logistics sector”.