The following advisory was published by Valenciaport:
Valenciaport closes the year half a point above the average results of the Spanish Port System with a decrease in traffic of 2.81%. This downward evolution in 2023 of both the Valencian docks and the rest of the Spanish ports can be explained as a consequence of the contraction of international trade and the generalised decrease in cargo handled in all ports – a consequence of the economic crisis caused by the conflicts in the Ukraine and Palestine and the uncertainty derived from the Red Sea conflict.
The data of the Statistical Bulletin of the Port Authority of València (PAV) for 2023 put the total volume of management in the Valencian terminals during 2023 at 76,746,424 tonnes. Although this figure represents a decrease in traffic compared to 2022, the decline is below the average for Spanish ports, which is -3.3%.
The president of Valenciaport, Mar Chao, explained this to the members of the Board of Directors of the Port Authority of València which was held this morning in the Clock Building. The president also explained that in the last quarter of 2023 Valenciaport has managed to recover traffic figures – with growth of 8.6% in December, 19.31% in November and 6.99% in October (compared to the same months of 2022) – although this boost, she said, has not been enough to close the year with a balance in growth.
As Mar Chao explained, in terms of short-term expectations, a change of trend has been detected in container traffic (TEU). This positive evolution began in October 2023 and continues to this day, driven by transit traffic (derived from the crisis of the conflict in the Red Sea). Thus, in December there was a growth in the number of containers of 13.13% (compared to the same month in 2022), in November it was 18.72% and in October it was 4.36%.
The balance for the year in goods vehicle traffic amounted to 643,000 vehicles, +6.6% more than the previous year. In terms of passengers, the APV increased by +13.4%, with 1.56 million passengers, of which 781,000 were cruise passengers (+25.4% increase).
Source: Valenciaport