Port traffic declined by 4.1% compared to the same period last year

• Spanish ports moved 365 million tons until August.
• Passengers, both cruise and regular, reached 26.8 million, 22.1% more than in the same months of 2022.

25-09-2023 (Public Body Puertos del Estado). Between January and August of this year, the state-owned port system moved 365.5 million tons, which represents a 4.1% decrease compared to the same period last year.

Solid bulk cargo resisted (+0.8%) to 62 million tons, thanks to the strong increase in cereal movement (+49%).

On the other hand, general cargo fell by 5.4%, mainly due to the decrease in containers (-8.2%), although conventional general cargo increased by 0.9% to 56.9 million tons, once again thanks to the boost from vehicles. Spanish ports moved 2.5 million tons of vehicles as cargo, 46.2% more than in the same months of 2022, confirming the strength of this type of traffic. Ro-ro traffic grew by 1.8% to 48.7 million tons.

The number of merchant ships through Spanish ports increased by 6.2% compared to the first eight months of the previous year, with a total of 110,590 units, and gross tonnage increased by 7.2%.

Passenger traffic also continues the upward trend. In total, 26.8 million people passed through Spanish ports between January and August, 22.1% more than in those months of 2022. Cruise passengers exceeded 7 million, 65.4% more, confirming the sustained recovery of the sector most affected by the pandemic.