Registering a 2% increase over the same period the previous year
Spain's ports have transferred 284.5 million tons during the first half of the year
- An increase in goods in transit (+6.9%) and ro-ro traffic (+6.77%) have strengthened the ports' position in logistic chains.
08-02-2019 (Ministry of Development). All of Spain's 46 general interest ports, coordinated by Puertos del Estado, transferred 284,546,276 Tons during the first six months of the year, representing a 2.05% increase with respect to the same period the previous year. These figures for 2019 are the best six-monthly historic numbers obtained by Spain's port system, representing a 37% increase during the last ten years over the 207 million transferred in 2010.
Depending on the form adopted, general cargo, which already exceeds 50% of the total, reached 139.6 million tons, i.e. a 4.1% increase; container cargo (98.9 million tons) represented 71% of the total.
Liquid and solid bulk behaved unevenly. Thus, whereas the first increased by 4.9%, exceeding 93 million tons, solid bulk of 45.4 million tons dropped by 8.1%, mainly due to a fall in the handling of cereal and flour, coal and coke and other minerals.
Goods in transit, travelling to third countries that use Spain's roadstead as logistic platforms, are still increasing at a rate of 6.9%, until exceeding 78 million tons. This figure- 1 of every 4 tons transferred in ports are goods in transit- has enhanced the global importance of Spanish ports as cargo redistributors arriving from different continents, which are able to connect to ports anywhere in the world.
Likewise, ro-ro traffic, cargo-loaded industrial vehicles that are shipped to avoid long distances by land, is gradually becoming more popular amongst carriers. During the first six months, it has registered a 6.77% increase, until exceeding 33.7 million tons.
Container traffic, measured in TEUs (20-foot containers), the most common form of transport for general cargo, has exceeded 8.7 million TEUs, with a 4.3% increase.
Finally, passenger traffic, 15.2 million persons, has registered a 5.46% increase. Of this number, approximately 1/3 of all passengers- 4.7 million people- were cruise passengers.
For more information, see http://www.puertos.es/es-es/estadisticas/Paginas/estadistica_mensual.aspx