Last year, Italian ports moved 474.4 million tonnes of goods, with a decrease in the -3.2% compared to 490.1 million tonnes in 2022. The data on freight traffic carried out in 2023 at ports of call national - announced by Assoporti - show decreases in volumes handled by the port systems managed by the Authority of the Western Ligurian Sea Port System (63.0 million tonnes, -3.7%), by the Port Authority of the Eastern Ligurian Sea (17.3 million tonnes, -7.3%), by the PSA of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea (38.6 million tonnes, -1.4%), from the Tyrrhenian Sea PSA Central and Northern Italy (14.0 million tonnes, -5.7%), of the PSA of the Central Tyrrhenian Sea (31.1 million tonnes, -2.9%), the PSA of the Southern Adriatic Sea (18.5 million tonnes, -5.4%), the PSA of the Central Adriatic Sea (11.2 million tonnes, -4.3%), from the PSA of the Central Adriatic Sea Northern (25.5 million tonnes, -6.9%), by the PSA of Northern Adriatic Sea (23.0 million tonnes, -9.2%), the PSA of the Eastern Adriatic Sea (59.4 million tonnes, -3.2%), the Port Authority of the Eastern Sicilian Sea (€31.4 million tonnes, -3.0%) and the Port Authority of the Sea of Sardinia (40.9 million tonnes, -6.7%). Volumes handled increased only from the port systems managed by the Port Authority of the Tyrrhenian Seas Southern and Ionian (43.5 million tonnes, +0.7%), by the PSA of the Strait (31.3 million tonnes, +4.0%), by the Port Authority of the Sea Ionian Sea (14.6 million tonnes, +0.3%) and the Sicilian Sea Western (10.8 million tonnes, +4.4%).

In addition, in 2023 the overall reduction of -3.2% in traffic was caused by the decline in volumes in all main product sectors with the exception of rolling stock in which, with 121.4 million tonnes, it was marked an increase of +0.5% on the previous year. The most was recorded by the dry bulk that in the 2023 amounted to 51.9 million tonnes (-15.1%). To follow conventional goods with 18.6 million tonnes (-5.5%), containerized cargo with 115.3 million tons (-3.6%) made with a container handling of 11,295,845 TEUs (-2.4%) - including 6,943,468 TEUs in import-export (-5.7%) and 4,352,377 TEUs transhipped (+3.4%) - and liquid bulk with 167.2 million tonnes (-1.1%).

Last year, ferry passenger traffic in the Italian ports was almost 18.7 million people (+9.8%) and that of cruise passengers of less than 13.4 million people (+48,1%).

In the fourth quarter of 2023 alone, the total traffic of cargo in Italian ports amounted to 114.4 million tonnes, down by -2.7% on the same period of 2022. Containerized goods with 28.2 million tonnes (+4.5%) and a handling of containers amounting to 2,851,014 TEUs (+4.0%), of which 1,574,050 TEUs in import-export (-0.8%) and 1,096,964 TEUs in transhipment (+12.6%), and rolling stock with 29.2 million tonnes (+5.9%). Bulk cargo down liquid goods with 41.9 million tonnes (-2.8%), 4.1 million tonnes (-4.6%) and a reduction in much more pronounced was the accusation of bulk less than 11.0 million tonnes (-29.8%).