Port of Barcelona sets cargo volume records in 2017

The Mediterranean seaport saw container volumes and total cargo traffic jump 32.3 percent and 26 percent, respectively, from 2016 levels.    The Port of Barcelona set new records for cargo volumes in 2017, the Mediterranean seaport said in a statement translated from the original Catalan.
   According to port figures, container volumes jumped 32.3 percent year-over-year to nearly 3 million TEUs, helping to boost total cargo traffic 26 percent to over 61 million metric tons for the year.
   The port attributed the surge in container volumes in part to rapid growth in transshipment, volumes of which were up 137 percent compared with 2016 levels.
   On the international side, import containers grew 8.3 percent to 561,103 TEUs, while exports ticked up 2.6 percent to 705,204 TEUs. China remained the port’s primary trading partner, accounting for 44.3 percent of container imports and 11.6 percent of exports.
   Liquid bulk cargoes also posted the best year in the history of Port of Barcelona, increasing 27 percent from the previous year to 14.4 million metric tons, with strong growth in natural gas (up 64 percent), traditional gasoline (up 30 percent) and chemical products (up 23 percent).
   The port also handled 4.4 million metric tons of bulk solids for the year, an increase of roughly 1 percent from 2016.
   Auto volumes, on the other hand, slipped 8.7 percent to 837,273 vehicles during 2017.
   The overall volume growth helped Port of Barcelona increase its 2017 profits 50 percent compared with the previous year to 50 million euros (U.S. $61.97 million) as revenues rose 7 percent to 167 million euros.