With Eid holidays fast approaching, Saudi ports have been witnessing increased activity in the past two days, with activity picking up in the evenings. The Customs and Passports Departments have intensified their efforts to complete passengers’ travel procedures quickly.

Thousands of Saudis spend less than two hours even in crowded ports like Al-Bathaa’ port, between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), King Fahad Causeway between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and Al-Khafji port with Kuwait.

Even though the holiday began on Thursday, border ports didn’t register any congestion, and only a few thousand were reported to have crossed the ports. Completing their documents didn’t take more than one hour. However, numbers were on the increase, and they are expected to be the same through Eid Al-Fitr holidays.

King Fahad Causeway witnessed varied activity, which continued till last night. Workers on the causeway said traffic was normal and they didn’t register any congestion during the day. However, passengers increased during the evening, and were delayed for more than two hours. They hoped the increased passengers will not affect speedy completion of travel procedure. They expected the causeway to be congested on the first day of Eid Al-Adha.

Al-Bathaa’ port, between the Kingdom and the UAE, didn’t register congestions or delays in the processing of travel documents. Passengers told local media that movement was normal in the morning, and the port didn’t witness any unusual congestion. They said travel procedures were quite fast and it took them less than one hour to finish their documents, with 45 minutes in the Saudi side. Passengers who traveled in the evening were delayed for more than two hours.

Passengers expect to be delayed in the port for more than three hours, which used to be the case in previous years. Workers in the port said all lanes will be opened, and they will be working to the port’s full capacity to finish travel procedures in record times. Congestion is expected to start on Eid night, and reach its peak during the first day of Eid, when passengers will be subjected to more than three hours delay, which is a recurrent scene.

They pointed out that preparations this year are much better than in the previous years, and they have strict instructions to intensify their efforts to complete documents in record time. This depends on the numbers that pass through the ports, but the situation will be different this year especially with the suitable weather conditions that will ease the suffering of passengers.