• There are no longer double-digit falls in the movement of containers – a speciality of the Port of Valencia – but economic uncertainty continues to cut traffic volumes. This is reflected in the July data of the Statistical Bulletin of the Port Authority of Valencia which shows a drop of 6.91% in the number of containers managed by Valenciaport and a fall of 9.15% in terms of tonnage.

• The incipient balance is also reflected in the entry of unloading containers (imports), which once again show positive data, growing by 3.95% this month (compared to the same month in 2022).

• Train transport also continues on an upward trend and in the first seven months of the year a total of 153,581 TEUs entered and left the Valencian docks by rail: 2,066,098 tonnes were moved, 18.46% more than in the same month of 2022.

• It is confirmed that 2023 is a good year for cruise tourism, which this month is once again growing in the Port of Valencia and has added 372,905 passengers so far this year. This month alone, 100,660 cruise passengers have disembarked at the Valencian docks, a figure which barely represents a tenth of the volume of passenger transits recorded by the Manises airport.

• Ro-Ro traffic (short sea shipping services for roll-on/roll-off cargo) grew by 14.25% at Valenciaport docks in July, reaching 61,723 units.

• Traffics with the Far East area grow again: the number of containers handled from January to July has increased by 2.97% reaching 455,473 TEU’s. China remains the main trading partner, followed by the USA, while for the second consecutive month the country that most increased its trade relations with the Valencian docks is Vietnam (+28.32% containers).

The decline is slowing down. The trend of contraction in Valenciaport’s freight traffic is moderating and the latest movements recorded at its docks are beginning to show signs of stabilisation. This can be seen in the July analysis of the Statistical Bulletin of the Port Authority of Valencia (APV), which shows a 6.91% drop in the number of containers handled and a 9.15% drop in the volume of tonnes, in line with what is happening in other large European ports.

On analysing the accumulated, the evolution of traffic in the first seven months of the year shows a drop of 8.14% in the volume of tonnes handled from the Valencian port and 10.41% in the number of TEU’s (standard 20-foot containers). Therefore, an incipient balance in traffic is beginning to be observed, which has been maintained for the second consecutive month.

The figures published in the statistics of the Port Authority of Valencia are in line with those recorded by the major European ports, a reflection of the international situation and the contraction of trade, weighed down by inflation and the rise in the price of money in Europe and the USA. However, as a positive differentiating factor for the Valencian port, an increase in unloading or import containers can be observed, which indicates a reactivation of productive activity in the hinterland of Valenciaport.

In the case of Valencia, there are also more positive figures, and despite the slowdown in activity in terms of goods, rail transport continues to rise and during the first seven months of this year a total of 153,581 TEUs (+20.63%) entered and left the Valencian docks by rail: 2,066,098 tonnes were moved, an 18.46% increase. In this sense, the measures promoted by Valenciaport to encourage rail transport within the framework of the APV’s Decarbonisation Plan are giving good results and in the annual accumulated figure this type of transport already represents 8.12% of the total (in 2022 the figure was 6.41%).

In line with the growth figures for rail transport, the performance of cruise tourism continues to rise.  This month the number of cruise passengers grew again in the Port of Valencia and added 100,660 passengers (+15%), a total that barely represents a tenth of the volume of passenger transits recorded by Manises airport in July. The number of total passengers (cruises and regular lines) has also grown by 20.08% so far in 2023, which means a total of 372,905 cruise passengers and 426,390 people who have travelled on regular lines with the Balearic Islands and Algeria.

For its part, ro-ro traffic (short sea ro-ro services) grew at Valenciaport’s docks in July by 14.25% (compared to the same month in 2022) to reach 61,723 units. Following a constant upward trend, this type of traffic now totals 7,963,230 tonnes transported in 2023, 2.19% more than in the same period of 2022.

This positive trend is also maintained in the vehicles and transport elements sector, specifically the section of automobiles and their parts, which has grown in this period by 16.32% to reach 1,237,545.

Vietnam remains in the lead

China is Valenciaport’s main trading partner with 318,399 containers, closely followed by the United States with 209,270; although the countries that have grown most in their traffic with Valenciaport have been Vietnam (+28.32), Egypt (+27.63%), India (15.95%) and Brazil (+14.65%).

Focusing on traffic by country in terms of tonnage, Italy continues to be Valenciaport’s main trading partner with 3,952,299 tonnes handled this year, followed by China, with 3,704,846, and the USA with 3,266,246. Nigeria achieved a growth of 37.22%, Egypt again grew for another month along with India by 25.64% and 22.63%, respectively.