Freight traffic at Barcelona Port grew by 6.5% through August

Number of cruise ship passengers up 7%

Xavier Grau
1 min
IMPULS ECONÒMIC 
 Els accessos ferroviaris milloraran la competitivitat del port de Barcelona.

BarcelonaTotal freight traffic in the Port of Barcelona through August grew by 6.5%, reaching 32.9 million tons, according to Port Authority figures issued last Friday.

Specially noteworthy are container shipments, with an increase of 15%, to 1.48 million TEU (1 TEU is equivalent to a standard 20-foot container). Import container traffic rose by 10%, and export containers grew by 3%. The number of transshipment containers —which are unloaded in the port and then reloaded to be sent to their final destination— grew by a dramatic 45%.

Another highlight was the rise in vehicle traffic, with 613,000 units transported, an increase of 8%. Of the total figure, 305,056 units were exports, representing a rise of 3.5%, while 137,674 units were imports, an increase of 23%.

The shipping of bulk liquid rose by 3%, largely due to the increase in the transport of diesel, which grew by 49%. Traffic in bulk solids rose by 6% thanks to an increase in exports of cement and clinker (9%), grains and flour (94%), and feed and fodder (20%).

China, the main partner

The growth in shipping volume can be explained by an increase in trade with the principal markets. China continues to be the main commercial partner of the port, and trade with this country has increased by 10%. Other countries that stand out because of rising commercial trade through the port include the United States (+ 9%), India (+ 14%), Saudi Arabia (+ 6%), and Mexico (+ 7%).

As for passenger traffic, 2.6 million people passed through the port in the first eight months of the year, which represents an increase of 7%. 962,913 of them were travellers on regular lines, a rise of 8%. The rest, 1.7 million, were cruise ship passengers, with an increase of 7%. In addition, the number of cruise passengers using Barcelona as their home port spiked by 17%.

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