The Port of Barcelona is maintaining the high rate of growth it has seen this year with a clear "acceleration" during the second semester. In October, total traffic increased 35.5% and container movements went up by 26.5%.
This "acceleration" seen in October has seen total traffic over the first ten months of the year grow 23.8% and container traffic grow 31.1%, both in respect to the same period last year. Those first ten months also saw 3.6 million more passengers, 1.8% more than in 2016. Breaking this down, the number of ferry passengers has grown 11.5% to 1.2 million people, those from cruises has fallen 2.8% to 2.3 million.
In terms of the movement of goods, the Port of Barcelona highlights the increase recorded in transshipments, those operations of unloading and reloading containers in the same facility which show the port's importance as an international hub. Such manoeuvres grew 131% in the year to October in comparison with the first ten months of 2016.
Growth trend
Foreign container trade has also maintained its trend of growth, increasing 8.4% in terms of imports, 478,147 containers and 2.8% in exports, 585,783 containers.
As for international markets, standing out is the dynamism of the exchange with China, 7.8% more; United Arab Emirates, 6.1%; Turkey, 6.2%; South Korea, 14% and Algeria, 15.5%.
In terms of total traffic, 50.8 million tonnes were moved in the first ten months of the year, 23.8% more than the same period last year.