Spanish port traffic declines 3%

This is despite the fact that overall revenue will rise thanks to a more than 100% increase in exports.

An earlier cut in port tariffs has not prevented traffic from falling, although new legislation due to enter into law on January 1, 2014 should reduce the cost of doing business at ports.

A recovery first seen in May has petered out, with negative data being posted in both October and November, and import-export containers particularly badly hit.

“We are not seeing green shoots anywhere,” noted Carlos Larrañaga, director of TCB and also president of the Anesco stevedoring organisation. “There has been an improvement in imports this month, but for the year as a whole we are down.”

In related news, the Economic Development Ministry will distribute €36m from the Interport Compensation Fund in 2014, of which €13.4m will go to ports in the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla.

Barcelona (€4.2m), Valencia (€3.2m) and Algeciras Bay (€2.9m) are the biggest contributors to the fund, with Santa Cruz de Tenerife (€8.2m), Las Palmas (€4.6m), Melilla (€3.5m) and Ceuta (€2.5m) the main beneficiaries.