Traffic in Spanish ports returns to pre-pandemic levels

Activity in Spanish ports grew by some 3.5 percent last year, almost matching the record levels of traffic reached before the pandemic began.

According to Spain's national port authority, Puertos del Estado, the country's 46 ports registered 563.3 million tons of goods traffic in 2022. This was just under the record of 564.5 million tons seen in 2019.

Puertos del Estado reported that the Port of Algeciras in southern Spain saw its traffic increased to 108 million tons, a 3-percent hike compared to 2021, while the Port of Barcelona registered 70 million tons, a 6.9 percent increase year-on-year.

It was a record recovery for Barcelona, which announced on Feb.14 a historic turnover of 181 million euros (193 million dollars) in 2022. This represents an increase of 20 percent compared to 2021, and five percent more than the year before the pandemic began.

"It's a result that shows that the Port of Barcelona has recovered its volume of business, and it puts us in a privileged position to continue developing our future projects," said Lluis Salvado, president of the Port of Barcelona.

The results were especially strong when viewed "in the context of a convulsive international crisis," Salvado added.

In Spain as a whole, traffic in solid bulk cargo, mainly coal, coke, cereals and flour, grew the most, with a rise of 10.8 percent compared to 2021. Meanwhile, traffic in liquid bulk cargo, natural gas, gasoline and crude oil grew by 6.9 percent.