Barcelona box throughput up 13% in first half 2016

The Port of Barcelona, Spain saw international containerized imports in the first six months of the year grow 11 percent to 264,624 TEUs compared with the same 2015 period, while exports increased 4 percent to 323,580 TEUs.    Terminals at the Port of Barcelona, Spain handled more than 1 million TEUs in the first six months of 2016, a 13 percent increase from the same 2015 period, according to recent data from the port authority.
   The Mediterranean port saw international containerized imports grow 11 percent to 264,624 TEUs compared with in the first half of 2015, while exports increased 4 percent to 323,580 TEUs.
   Coastal shipping with the Balearic and Canary Islands grew 13 percent, while transhipment containers were up more than 20 percent, the port said.
   In other cargo types, Barcelona’s terminals handled a total of 477,202 vehicles, an increase of 6 percent compared with the previous year. Liquid bulk goods were virtually unchanged year-over-year in the first half at 6 million metric tons, while dry bulk cargo volumes grew 5 percent to 2.2 million metric tons.
   During the first half of the year, the Port of Barcelona handled a combined 24.2 million metric tons of cargo, a 4 percent year-over-year increase.
   By country, China remained the primary trading partner for the port, increasing traffic 10 percent, while trade with the United States was up 8 percent, United Arab Emirates 28 percent, India 19 percent, and Mexico 7 percent.
   The Port of Barcelona reported a net profit of 19.1 million euros (U.S. $21.5 million) during the first half of 2016 on 76.1 million euros in revenues, increases of 30 percent and 1 percent, respectively, from first half 2015.
   APM Terminals, the port terminal operator arm of Danish shipping conglomerate the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, in March completed its $1 billion acquisition of Spanish Grup Maritim TCB’s port and rail interests, which included a concession in Barcelona, among others.