Port traffic fell by 3% compared to the same period last year

Spanish ports handled 500 million tons until November, confirming a moderation in the decline of traffic

• Passengers, both from cruise and regular line services, continue the upward trend, reaching 36.7 million, which is 19.6% more than between January and November 2022.
• Cruise passengers have already surpassed the record figure of 2019, with 11.2 million to go before the end of the year

22-12-2023 (State Public Ports Body). General interest ports handled 500,044,940 tons between January and November 2023, representing a 3% decrease compared to the same period the previous year. This confirms the moderation in the downward trend of traffic, which was already observed in October.

Despite the movements in the port system under state ownership continuing to be affected by international tensions, compounded by the security situation in the Red Sea, which forces shipping companies to change routes, the declines in traffic are less than in previous months. General cargo contracted by 3.2% compared to the same period last year (compared to 4.5% in October), reaching 241.9 million tons. This was due to the decline in containerized cargo (-5.3%), which was less than the declines recorded in September (-8.2%) or October (-7%). Meanwhile, conventional general cargo saw an increase of 1.6%. The good performance of vehicles, which increased by 23.6% to reach 3.5 million, is again behind this growth. Additionally, cereals have also contributed significantly to this increase, with a notable rise of 48.2% in general cargo and 39.8% in solid bulk.

In TEUs, the declines are once again more limited than in previous months. Thus, in the period until November, the container movement through Spanish ports reached 15,027,706 TEUs, which is 5.2% less than the same period the previous year. This is in contrast to the decline of 6.7% recorded in October compared to 2022. In the month of November alone, 1.37 million TEUs were handled, surpassing the November 2022 figure of 1.23 million.

Bulk solids experienced a 2.3% decline until November, reaching 83.6 million tons. As for liquid bulk, they decreased by 2.9% between January and November, reaching 160.6 million tons. There was a slight increase in November compared to the same month in 2022, with a new surge in diesel (+15.6%).

Ro-ro traffic grew by 1.5% to reach 66.5 million tons.

The number of merchant vessels in Spanish ports increased by 4.8% compared to the first eleven months of 2022, totaling 152,078 units, and the gross tonnage grew by 6.3%.

Passenger traffic continues its upward trend. In total, 36.7 million people passed through Spanish ports between January and November, marking a 19.6% increase compared to the corresponding months in the previous year.

As predicted, the number of cruise passengers in 2023 has surpassed the absolute record set in 2019 (10.6 million), even with one month remaining before the end of the year. Between January and November, cruise passengers reached 11.2 million, which is 49.7% more than in the same period of 2022.

For more information: https://www.puertos.es/es-es/estadisticas/Páginas/estadistica_mensual.aspx