The container activity of the Port of Tarragona fell down again in the first semester of 2018 in comparison to the same period of 2017, with -1.3% less movement. July has been the month with the lowest activity in relation to the previous year, with -10.8% less activity. These results, however, resonate with those of 2017, where the total of the annual activity (liquid bulk, salt, cars …) was very positive as a whole, beating previous records, as published by the Port of Tarragona Authority.
Liquid bulk, as is the case of crude oil, have shown a growth of +9% in these first months of 2018. However, this doesn’t apply to petroleum products, that show a descend of -34.4%, or chemical products with -17.4%.
This year also highlights the growth of solid bulks, a non-existent traffic in 2017, with the traffic of peas from Eastern Europe. Likewise, the general non-contained cargo also sees a positive evolution, with +29% growth, as well as common salt (+128.8%), paper pulp (+47.4%) and iron and steel products (+62.7%).
On its side, agro-food products have shown a positive evolution of +62.5%, with fruits and vegetables being the products with the highest growth.
However, the major increases seen, have been in live cattle with +171.4% and in cruise passengers, who have experienced a fast-paced growth since 2017, with a growth of +282.3% compared to the previous year. In 2018, the Port of Tarragona has already seen the visit of 51,630 cruise passengers in the first seven months of the year, +137.5% in relation to the first quarter of 2017, and it is expected to continue to rise in the coming months, clearly showing a positive trend.