The port of Barcelona closed 2021 with record container traffic

The new record of containerized traffic reached in 2021 is of 37.5 million tons, with increases of +17.1% on 2020 and +9.6% on 2019, volume achieved with a movement of containers equal to over 3.5 million teu (respectively +19.3% and +6.2%), of which more than 2.0 million teu in import and export (+15.2% and +6.6%) and less than 1.5 million teu in transit (+25.5% and +5.7%). In the field of miscellaneous goods, also handled 10.7 million tons of non-existent goods containerized (+12.1% and -7.4%). The traffic of new cars is state of 499 thousand units (+3.9% and -35.8%).

Last year the traffic of liquid bulk in the port Catalan stood at 12.4 million tons (-3.4% on 2020 and -23.0% on 2019), including 9.1 million tonnes of hydrocarbons (-8.4% and -26.4%) and 3.3 million tonnes of other loads (+14.2% and -11.8%). In the solid bulk sector, the total was of 4.5 million tons (+9.9% and +10.5%).

Passenger traffic has recovered sharply compared to 2020 while remaining very far from the levels of 2019. In particular, in 2021 the total of 521 thousand cruise passengers is +161.9% higher on the previous year and -67.6% lower on 2019, while ferry passengers, with 978 thousand units, marks a growth of +48.4% on 2020 and a decrease of -34.4% on 2019.

In the fourth quarter of 2021 alone, after four quarters consecutive rise, the port of Barcelona has suffered a decline of -4.2% on 2020 of the total traffic of goods that is amounted to 16.0 million tonnes, a volume which is, however, up by +5.0% on 2019. In the miscellaneous goods segment only 11.5 million tons were handled (-7.3% on 2020 and +5.5% on 2019), of which 8.8 million tons of cargoes containerized (-10.7% and +8.6%) made with a handling of container pairs to 828 thousand teu (-6.9% and +7.2%), including 524 thousand teu in import-export (+7.7% and +12.8%) and 304 thousand teu in transit (-24.5% and -1.3%), and 2.7 million tons of non-containerized goods (+6.1% and -3.4%). The handling of cars has been 124 thousand vehicles (-22.2% and -37.4%). Liquid bulk has totaled 3.4 million tons (+6.7% and +1.7%) and those solid 1.1 million tons (-1.2% and +10.5%). In the sector of passengers, the cruise passengers were 307 thousand, traffic that was absent in the last quarter of 2020 and was 705 thousand cruise passengers in the fourth quarter of 2019. The passengers of the ferries were 198 thousand (+103.0% and -8.4%).