Barcelona container traffic broadly stable in first nine months

The Port of Barcelona handled 2.82m TEU in the first nine months of 2026, broadly in line with the same period last year, with a minor year-on-year decline of 0.4%. The port said that growth in full import containers and transhipment traffic offset a decline in exports. Overall cargo throughput rose 1% year-on-year to 52.8m tonnes.

Full import containers increased 7.1%, with volumes from China rising 15.1% and Vietnam up 12.6%. Container exports fell 7.2%, reflecting weaker performance in China and the United States.

Vehicle traffic rose 2.7% to 541,565 units, driven by an 18.6% increase in imports to 163,289 vehicles. Electric and hybrid models accounted for 60% of imported vehicles.

Liquid bulk throughput increased 2.2% to 12.5m tonnes, led by a 51.1% rise in chemical products and a 39.9% increase in biofuels. Dry bulk volumes fell 2.9% to 2.9m tonnes, as a 18.9% increase in potash was outweighed by declines in grain and salt traffic, down 35% and 15.2%, respectively.

This story was originally published by World Cargo News. Read the full story at World Cargo News →