Barcelona port handles 18% more goods traffic in 2018

Goods traffic in the Port of Barcelona amounted to 16.5 million tonnes in the first quarter of the year, a rise of 18.5% over the same period in 2017. The positive figures are attributed to different segments of the port performing well, in particular the container port, which so far this year has handled some 786,000 containers, 18% more than last year.

Passengers also grow

Meanwhile, the loading and unloading of vehicles grew by 6.2% in the same period, due to a 16% rise in imports and a 5% rise in exports of vehicles. Where passenger traffic is concerned, the port handled half a million people, some 26% more than last year, with 18% more ferry passengers and 33% more cruise ship passengers.

A closer look at the figures shows that much of the container traffic involved transferring goods from one ship to another, which went up by 45%. At the same time, container exports grew 9.6% to 190,488 units, and container imports grew 7% to 135,724 units. As for vehicles, some 217,187 units were handled by the port in the first quarter of the year.

The beginning of the year also showed a large rise in the number of passengers passing through the port. The overall figure of an extra 26.5% passengers so far this year can be broken down to 202,600 ferry passengers and 299,785 cruise ship passengers.