seagull Mar 23, 9:40
Barcelona container traffic up 4% last year
Container traffic handled at the port of Barcelona rose by more than 4% last year to just over two million teu, Ifw-net reports.
The increase in traffic mainly occurred during the first half of the year, reflecting the slowdown in the Spanish economy as 2011 progressed.
The port said the growth was driven by export traffic, which increased by 14% to 511,096teu, with China, the Arab emirates and Turkey the principal foreign markets for goods. Algeria, the US, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, South Korea, and India were also among the leading destinations.
This month, Terminal Catalunya, a member of the Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) group, took delivery of eight super-post-panamax quay cranes at its Muelle Prat terminal at the port.
Clemence Cheng, MD of HPH Central Europe, said: “This is another important milestone in the completion of this new terminal, which is scheduled to open in mid-2012.
“With the eight-track rail facility connecting the terminal to the European rail network, Barcelona will be an important Mediterranean gateway for Southern and Central European cargo.”
Apart from containers, there was also strong growth in vehicles traffic at Barcelona in 2011, with the port’s specialised terminals handling more than 630,000 cars, an increase of 14% on the previous year.
en.portnews.ru
Spain
