Spain's Top Ports Report 25% Increase In Volume Amid Red Sea Attacks

The volume of cargoes progressing via the top ports in Spain rose by nearly 25% in January 2024 as the attacks on shipping in the waters of the Red Sea made firms divert Europe-bound vessels through southern Africa instead.

The northern ports of Spain have seen volumes in transit go up by up to triple as the traders try to avoid moving cargo by trucks through Europe owing to the widespread blockade by the farmers, Aecoc, the Spanish retail and food industry association, explains.

Ports like Las Palmas in Barcelona and the Canary Islands experienced a 25.4% and a 7.6% increase in merchandise volume in the first month of last year. The Overall traffic of cargo to Spanish ports – including the merchandise, dry bulk, and bulk liquids went up by 3.4% in Jan compared to a 3.3% drop in traffic in 2023, per official figures.

Spanish ports are key entry zones to Europe for shipping majors that choose to sail via southern Africa instead of the Red Sea to prevent attacks by Houthis off Yemen. The rise in traffic may be associated with the impacts of the ongoing Red Sea crisis, the ports agency informed Reuters, but it would also have to wait some months to get a more precise assessment.

Volumes of merchandise in transit went up by 2.8% in Spanish ports. However, the rise is even more noticeable in the northern Spanish ports of Bilbao and Santander, which, in the year’s first 30 days, addressed the volume of goods in transit twice and thrice compared to January 2022.

The volume increase in Santander is also partly due to the expansion of the container terminal, the press office said. Over recent weeks, a few operators at the port of Santander have received inquiries and requests to send goods to Britain, per the port.

Reference: MarineLink

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