Spanish ports have surpassed 90.6 million tons moved in the first two months of the year

• 22 out of the 28 Port Authorities have surpassed the data from 2021.
• Ro-Ro traffic (Roll-on/Roll-off – industrially loaded vehicles) has grown by 16.2%, approaching 11 million tons.

24-03-2022 (Public Body Ports of the State).

The 46 general interest ports of the State, managed by 28 Port Authorities and coordinated by Ports of the State, handled 90,660,299 tons during the first two months of the year, which represents the second-best historical record for ports, surpassed only by 2019 when 91.4 million tons were moved.

Compared to 2021, total port traffic grew by 9.2%, and 22 out of the 28 Port Authorities exceeded the data from the previous year.

In terms of presentation, solid bulk, with 15.5 million tons accumulated in the year, showed the highest growth (23.9%), mainly due to a significant increase of +111% in the movement of cereals and their flours, nearly doubling the amount moved in 2021, exceeding 3.1 million tons, and feeds and forages, +22.8%.

Liquid bulk grew by 15.2%, surpassing 29.2 million tons, with natural gas (+66.2%) at 3.6 million tons and crude oil (+20.3%) at 10.2 million tons being the categories that grew the most.

General cargo, with 43.5 million tons, grew by +0.35%, although in this group, conventional general cargo, i.e., non-containerized, increased by 15.8%, noticeable in products such as wood and cork (+30.6%), wines and beverages (+21.6%), and food products (+5.1%).

Ro-Ro traffic, Roll-on/Roll-off – industrially loaded vehicles shipped, reached 10,960,641 tons, with a growth of 16.2%, indicating that intermodality is an increasingly valued option for truckers in certain land areas.

Container traffic (measured in twenty-foot equivalent units-TEUs) amounted to 2.8 million TEUs, which represented a decrease of 1.7% compared to the previous year, mainly due to the transit decline (-7.9%).

Finally, passenger traffic continues to grow at a good pace, both in regular routes and cruises, surpassing 2.4 million passengers, more than double the previous year. Particularly significant has been the growth in Ro-Ro traffic, which, once restrictions imposed during the pandemic were lifted, exceeded 470,000 passengers, with an increase of +646% compared to the previous year.