In recent months, European ports are certainly accusing a slowdown in the recovery of volumes handled that followed the drastic reduction in activity caused, especially in the central months of 2020, by the impact on the economy and mobility of the global pandemic of Covid-19, attenuation of growth that in several port ports European has turned into a decline, in some cases rather accentuated.

With respect to this scenario, it should be understood as the Port System Authority of the Eastern Ligurian Sea positions the total volume of traffic handled by the ports of La Spezia and Marina di Carrara managed by the institution. The Ligurian authority, In fact, giving scant "social" news of the volume of traffic from the two airports in the first six months of 2023 specifies that it is "in line with the general trends of the sector'.

At first glance, but also at second and third, waiting for the institution port makes available more detailed data, it does not seem Not at all, considering the overall figures communicated. The AdSP of the Eastern Ligurian Sea has explained that in the first half of this year the port of La Spezia has enlivened 6,445,618 tons of goods, recording a bending of -4,2% on the same period as 2022. It should be noted that the volume of traffic totaled in the first half of 2023 results moreover, -5.6% lower than that enlivened in the first half of 2021 when the effects were still felt of the global pandemic on port activities and is also -2.5% lower than in 2020 when the health crisis had greatly reduced the flow of goods handled by ports, including that of La Spezia. It should also be emphasized that the Data for the first six months of 2023 is also lower than a very long series of volumes of traffic handled in the first semesters of previous years so that, to go back to a volume of minor traffic, we must return to the distant first half of the year in 1997 when the total was 5,268,852 tons.

The decrease recorded in the first half of 2023 is was contained by the strong increase (+95.4% on the first six months of the 2022) of the traffic of the liquid bulk, of which the AdSP gives News item: This is a total of 1,412,978 tonnes, of which - specifies the institution - 1,268,280 liquefied gas (+111%) and 144,698 tons of refined products (+17.8%).

At the moment the Ligurian port authority does not specify, however, how many solid bulk and miscellaneous goods have been handled. However, yes infers that the volume of dry goods achieved in the first six months of 2023 was 5,032,640 tons, a volume that results considerably lower (-16.2%) not only to that enlivened in the first half of 2022, but also to those totaled in the first six months of 2021 and 2020 (-18.8% and -9.3% respectively). Goods Eventful shoals in the first half of this year, moreover, are much lower than a series of half-yearly data precedents, also very extensive in time, so much so that it is necessary go back to the remote 1998, when in the first six months they were 4,976,573 tons of dry goods were handled, to find a increase, however modest (+1.1%), and to find a more Relevant we must go back to the first half of 1997, year compared to to which the increase is +19.6%.

Of the volume of miscellaneous goods handled in the first six months of 2023 the harbour authority has made known the consistency, in terms of 20-foot containers, of only the volume of contaminated cargo which turned out pairs to 551.006 teu, with a considerable decrease of the -18.4% on the first half of 2022, a decrease of -21.6% on the first half of 2021 and a very slight increase of +0.1% on the first half of 2020. Also for this type of load We need to go back in time and go back to the first half of 2009 to experience a more pronounced positive percentage change (+9,4%).

In the first half of this year the port of Marina di Carrara handled 2,458,962 tons of goods, with a decrease -11.4% on the first half of 2022. In the case of Carrara the data is recovering compared to the first semesters of 2021 and 2020 (+53.0% and +85.3%) as well as considerably higher than in the first semesters of previous years.

Broadening the vision beyond the boundaries of the port system of the Eastern Liguria, it seems equally necessary to note that the volume of traffic handled by various Italian ports in the In recent months, it is not at all "in line with trends" general of the sector' and which, rather, reflects the phase of Difficulties experienced by the Italian economy due to certain exogenous factors, but also endogenous. It also seems necessary to us observe the growing trend of many, too many, port authorities national team consisting in highlighting the positive elements of the recent activity and neglect to dissect the motivations which led to the contraction of important flows of traffic. Even more essential is to highlight the delay with which, despite the intentions expressed in a recent past, too many Port System Authorities make known the data on traffic handled by the ports under their competence, making Even more problematic is to assess what is the evolution in the course of domestic and external trade by sea.