Ports set new milestones in 2011

Overall throughput in Barcelona, including containers and all other cargo, reached 44.2m tonnes, only 0.4% higher than 2010, with the increase centred mainly on the first half of the year. Port activity slowed over the following months to the end of the year.

Exports significantly influenced the results with the Catalan region channelling 511,096 teu (14%) into foreign markets, the principal destinations being China, the Arab Emirates and Turkey.

Apart from containerised goods, new vehicle movements registered as one of the best growth areas in the results; a total of 630,102 cars, also a 14% increase, were handled last year. Imported vehicles amounted to 134,720 units, an 8% increase over the previous year.