Barcelona’s port worth €9.2 billion to Catalan economy

The Port of Barcelona directly and indirectly generates a total of 9.2 billion euros for the Catalan economy and accounts for 5.4% of Catalonia’s workforce. That is according to the port authorities, who presented figures on Wednesday showing the infrastructure’s financial impact.

The presentation organized by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce revealed that port business directly accounts for 3.5 billion euros and 1.1% of the workforce. The figures also show that this January container traffic in the facility grew by 50% compared to the same period last year, with 60% more cruise passengers.

The port authorities also commented on positive figures for 2017 released last week showing a 26% increase in all traffic last year. In fact, the port exceeded 61 million tonnes of container traffic for the first time ever in 2017. The figures show that Barcelona’s port is the fastest growing in Europe in terms of total traffic.

What’s more, the port last year had a net turnover of 167 million euros, some 7% more than in 2016. At the end of the financial year, the port had made profits of 50 million euros, some 50% more than in the previous 12 months.

The port authorities attribute the growth in particular to the expansion of the infrastructure in recent years, its position in the port network, its relationship with the hinterland and the high competitiveness of its supply chain.