Sharp decline in transshipment containers (-27.8%) partially offset by growth in import-export containers (+2.5%)
After the -1.8% drop recorded in the first quarter of this year, the decline in cargo traffic at the Port of Barcelona intensified in the following quarter, with 17.65 million tons of goods handled during the period, marking a -4.5% decrease compared to the second quarter of 2024. This was primarily driven by a reduction in containerized cargo volumes, which totaled 8.55 million tons (-16.3%), achieved through the handling of 913 thousand TEUs (-12.2%). Of these, 549 thousand TEUs were import-export (+2.5%), and 364 thousand TEUs were transshipment (-27.8%). Dry bulk cargo also saw a sharp decline, settling at 832 thousand tons (-33.6%), including 347 thousand tons of soybeans (-11.7%), 132 thousand tons of potash (-13.4%), 115 thousand tons of cement and clinker (-52.4%), and 89 thousand tons of grains and flour (-63.0%). Liquid bulk cargo increased by +33.1%, rising to 5.40 million tons, of which 3.81 million tons were hydrocarbons (+57.1%) and 1.23 million tons were other bulk cargo (-9.6%). Conventional goods remained stable at 3.23 million tons (+0.4%). New vehicle traffic stood at 194 thousand vehicles (-4.5%).
Passenger traffic grew, with cruise ship passengers totaling 1.34 million (+17.3%) and ferry passengers reaching 439 thousand (+6.1%).
In the first six months of 2025, cargo traffic handled by the Catalan port amounted to 33.86 million tons, a -3.2% decline compared to the first half of the previous year. In the container sector, 17.79 million tons were handled (-10.7%), with 1.85 million TEUs passing through the port docks (-7.3%). This traffic was characterized by a decline in transshipment containers (752 thousand TEUs, -21.3%) and an increase in import-export containers (1.09 million TEUs, +5.6%). Conventional goods totaled 5.99 million tons (+0.5%). New vehicle handling reached 363 thousand units (-6.5%). In the bulk segment, liquid cargo amounted to 8.25 million tons (+22.1%), while solid cargo stood at 1.82 million tons (-21.9%).
In the first half of this year, cruise passengers numbered 1.69 million (+15.7%), and ferry passengers totaled 653 thousand (-1.4%).
