Total cargo traffic at the Port of Barcelona grew by 13.5% in the first month of the year, reaching a total of 5.45 million tons. This significant growth is largely due to the performance of liquid bulk cargo , which increased by 87.5% year-on-year, totaling 1.33 million tons.
This increase in bulk liquids represents a further step in the trend observed at the end of last year, with a marked increase in liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports , primarily from the United States, and in gasoline and fuel oil traffic, where the Port of Barcelona terminals are acting as a hub for blending operations and subsequent export to other ports. Conversely, the movement of bulk solids has decreased by 12% due to the drop in grain and flour traffic.
In the case of containers , they have increased by 4.3% to 304,703 TEUs. This increase is mainly due to the growth in transits, which have recovered by 11.3%. In contrast, both full export containers and full import containers have decreased, by -10.7% and -3.3% respectively.
Regarding car traffic , 43,768 vehicles passed through the Port of Barcelona, 2.2% more than in January 2025. This increase is due to imports, which have risen by more than 80%. Vehicle exports remained almost identical to last year’s figure.
Regarding passenger traffic , 208,160 movements were recorded in January, a 16% increase, of which 71,304 (+4.2%) corresponded to regular ferry services. Cruise ship visitors to the city of Barcelona totaled 84,405.
The negative fact
In contrast, traffic for short sea shipping (SSS) services has experienced a decrease of -5.5%, to 28,227 UTIs, mainly due to the drop in traffic with the Balearic Islands and, to a lesser extent, Italy.
