Port of Tarragona handles 34 million tonnes in 2017

The Port of Tarragona handled around 34 million tonnes of goods throughout 2017, an increase of 7.8% from 2016, and the best figure in the last ten years.

The president of the Port Authority, Josep Andreu, has called the results “very positive,” given that the target of 33 million tonnes was surpassed. With regard to its economic results, the port’s revenue increased by 9.75% compared to 2016, reaching a total of €57.4 million euros.

One of the factors leading to this growth was that of liquid products making up a total of 22 million tonnes, an increase of 8.7%. Within this market, a rise in the traffic of crude oil stands out, increasing by 12.5% to 9.6 million tonnes. Other petroleum products also grew by 6.2%, making up 10.7 million tonnes of the overall total of goods traffic.

The amount of solid goods passing through the port also rose by 8.7% to 22 million tonnes. Coal continued to follow a positive trend, increasing by 8.3% to 3.7 million tonnes. Cereals, flours, and animal feeds, on the other hand, decreased by 4.4% compared to last year, making up 4.5 million tonnes of the overall total.

Growing fast

Tarragona is the second major port in Catalonia after Barcelona, which was the fastest growing port in Europe in 2017.

Traffic at the Port of Barcelona increased by 26% in 2017, compared to the previous year, according to data released by the Catalan capital’s Port Authority, exceeding a total of 61 million tonnes for the first time, making it the fastest growing port in Europe.

The president of the port, Sixte Cambra, described the figures as “more than extraordinary,” at a press conference held on Thursday, calling it a “jump in the scale” of commercial activity at the maritime facility.