The Port of Cartagena continues to climb positions in the ranking of the top 30 ports in the EU in total freight traffic in 2023, ranking 20th, as can be seen from the analysis carried out every year by the specialized media Transporte XXI.
In a detailed analysis of the main European ports, ‘Cartagena rises to 20th place in the top European ports in terms of volume of goods and is one of the six ports in the European Union that is growing the most,’ explained the vice-president of the Port Authority, Pedro Pablo Hernández, who recalled that ‘the escalation in our volume of goods revalidated us in 2023 as the fourth Spanish port, leader in foreign trade traffic in the Spanish port system, first in bulk traffic and also in imports.’
In a year marked by geopolitical tensions, with several conflicts and a slowdown in global economic growth, Cartagena managed to maintain a growth path throughout 2023 that closed with an increase of 2.9 percent compared to 2022, well above the average for Spanish ports, which fell by 3.3 percent, and with an increase in exports of more than 30 percent. In this sense, Hernández highlighted the advantages offered by the Port of Cartagena, ‘with record figures in liquid and solid bulk traffic, the opening of new lines of business that are generating opportunities in the business environment such as the offshore industry, project cargoes, or the cruise sector, and that are validated by the confidence of logistics operators who see Cartagena as a safe, competitive port and one of the most efficient in port operations.’
However, the vice-president said that ‘the Port of Cartagena has much more to offer, but it needs to continue expanding its facilities with the new terminals of Barlomar and El Gorguel that will allow us to compete in the world of containers and have more space for the loading and unloading of bulk goods.’ The top 30 ports in the European Union by freight traffic in 2023 include seven Spanish ports, with Cartagena being the fourth largest in the Spanish port system behind Algeciras, Valencia, and Barcelona.
