In 2023, Valenciaport concluded the year with a traffic decrease of 2.81%, just half a point above the average results of the Spanish Port System.
The dip in both Valencian docks and other Spanish ports is attributed to the global contraction of international trade, influenced by the economic repercussions of conflicts in Ukraine, and Palestine, and the uncertainty stemming from the Red Sea conflict.
Mar Chao, the president of Valenciaport mentioned that a positive trend shift has been observed in short-term expectations, particularly in container traffic. Starting in October 2023 and continuing, there has been growth driven by transit traffic resulting from the Red Sea conflict crisis. In December, container growth was 13.13%, in November it was 18.72%, and in October it stood at 4.36%.
According to the Statistical Bulletin of the Port Authority of València (PAV) for 2023, the total volume handled in Valencian terminals reached 76,746,424 tonnes. Despite the decline compared to 2022, the reduction is less than the Spanish ports’ average, which stands at -3.3%.
Mar Chao shared this information during the Board of Directors meeting at the Clock Building. She highlighted that Valenciaport managed to recover traffic figures in the last quarter of 2023, showing growth of 8.6% in December, 19.31% in November, and 6.99% in October compared to the same months in 2022. However, this rebound was not sufficient to offset the overall decline for the year.
The annual balance for goods vehicle traffic reached 643,000 vehicles, a 6.6% increase from the previous year. Passenger traffic at the APV increased by 13.4%, welcoming 1.56 million passengers, including 781,000 cruise passengers, reflecting a 25.4% increase.
