The port in Spain slows its traffic decline to 3% despite attacks on commerce

The state-owned port system moved 500 million tons between January and November of this year, which is 3% less than in the same period of the previous year, as reported by State Ports.

This data represents a moderation in the decreases compared to the 3.7% that traffic fell until October, due to the effects caused by international tensions, which are still having an impact.

In addition, another element of uncertainty has now been added, with the insecurity recently caused in the Red Sea, which forces shipping companies to change routes.

General merchandise contracted 3.2% compared to the same period last year (compared to 4.5% in October), up to 241.9 million tons, due to the 5.3% decrease in contained merchandise, and with an increase in conventional general merchandise . of 1.6%.

The good performance of vehicles, which, as merchandise, increased by 23.6%, to 3.5 million, was once again behind this growth, but also by cereals, which grew both as general merchandise and in solid bulk, with increases of 48.2% . and 39.8%, respectively.

The movement of containers through Spanish ports reached 15 million units, 5.2% less than in the same period of the previous year, although less than the 6.7% drop registered in October.

For its part, solid bulk registered a drop of 2.3%, to 83.6 million tons, at the same time that liquid bulk decreased by 2.9% between January and November, to 160.6 million tons, except for the rebound of 15.6 % in diesel.

Ro-ro (wheeled) traffic grew by 1.5%, to 66.5 million tons. As a whole, the number of merchant ships through Spanish ports increased by 4.8%, with a total of 152,078 units, and gross tonnage grew by 6.3%.

20% more passengers

In the passenger market, traffic maintained its upward trend with a total of 36.7 million people between January and November, which represents a growth of 19.6% compared to those same months of the previous year.

Likewise, the number of cruise passengers in 2023 has already exceeded the absolute record set in 2019 of 10.6 million, this time adding 11.2 million, 49.7% more than in the same period of 2022.