PortEconomics member Theo Notteboom compiled a table showing the year-on-year TEU growth in the top 15 container ports in the European Union during the first six months of the year.
“While 2023 was characterized by a strong to moderate traffic decline in most ports, the first half of 2024 brought double-digit growth in seven of the top 15 ports,” pointed out Notteboom.
As seen in the table, Portugal’s port of Sines, Spain’s ports of Valencia and Barcelona, France’s HAROPA complex, Germany’s Bremerhaven port, Italy’s port of Gioia Tauro and Poland’s port of Gdansk achieved significant year-on-year container volume increases.
On the other hand, COSCO’s Port of Piraeus has experienced a significant decline in container throughput, putting its competitive position at risk. Ports like Valencia, Algeciras, and Bremerhaven are on track to surpass the Greek port by the end of the year, potentially pushing it down to seventh place.
“Piraeus incurred hefty traffic losses as the East Med became a maritime cul-de-sac due to the dramatic drop in Suez Canal transits,” noted Notteboom.
The traffic changes in the podium were modest with Belgium’s port of Antwerp-Bruges recording a 4.1% growth decreasing its distance from the leading port of Rotterdam, which reported a 2.2% container increase. At the same time, Germany’s major port of Hamburg saw relatively stable volumes (-0.3%).
