Exports and imports drive solid growth of 15,2% at the Port of Barcelona

 

Despite the current instability in global trade relations, the Port de Barcelona has registered a notable dynamism in its operations foreign trade during the first quarter of the year. The data reveal double-digit growth in both exports and imports of full containers, projecting a sign of strength from the business community in its area of ​​influence.

 

Specifically, containers loaded with goods for export they experienced a del% increase 12,2 compared to the same period in 2024. For its part, the imports in the container they recorded a an even greater increase of 21,6%This robust performance in container movement, a key indicator of the economic state, contrasts with the uncertainty that prevails in the international trade panorama.

 

When analyzing the main geographic markets, a Significant growth in trade with China (+25,9%), the United States (+8,4%), India (+34,9%) and South Korea (+48%). Türkiye, on the other hand, shows a notable decline in this period (-13,7%).

 

Another sector that is showing strong expansion in the Port of Barcelona is that of bulk liquids, with an increase of 8,1%This increase is mainly due to the boost of the Gasoline (+61,4%) and natural gas (+16,8%). However, the traffic of Bulk solids show an opposite trend, with a fall of -8,5%., influenced by declines in the movement of potash, common salt and soybeans.

 

El vehicle traffic, for its part, does reflect the caution existing in the global economy, with a -8,7% decrease, reaching 168.545 units. The Intermodal Transport Units (UTIs) They also show a slight contraction of the -1,5%, highlighting the complexity of the current scenario.

 

In general terms, the Total traffic at the Port of Barcelona remained close to the previous year's levels, with a total of 16,6 million tonnes, representing a slight decrease of -1,6% compared to the first quarter of 2024.

 

As for passenger movement, Ferries experienced a decrease of -14,1%, with 213.695 movements. In contrast, the sector of Cruises continue their positive trend, with a 10% increase in ship movements. This growth is explained by the increase in cruise ships based in Barcelona and the decrease in transit passengers. Thanks to this dynamism, the city welcomed 217.626 cruise passengers in the first quarter, up 5,35% than in the same period of the previous year (206.568).

 

It's worth noting that the Port of Barcelona, ​​in collaboration with Barcelona Tourism, has implemented a new calculation system to standardize cruise passenger data, thus providing a more accurate estimate of the tourism impact of this sector on the city.