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 increase in the first half of 2024, according to PortEconomics. This growth contrasts with the general decline in port traffic seen in 2023 said PortEconomics member, Theo Notteboom, who compiled the report.

Greece’s Port of Piraeus experienced a sharp decline due to reduced traffic through the Suez Canal. Belgium’s Antwerp-Bruges grew 4.1%, narrowing the gap with Rotterdam, which increased by 2.2%. The Benelux ports are expected to maintain their lead as the largest container ports in the EU by the end of 2024. The port of Hamburg in Germany was stable with a small -0.3% decline but remains firmly in the top three. Northern Europe’s dominance in container shipping is unlikely to be challenged anytime soon.

Valencia is predicted to rise to fourth place. Meanwhile Piraeus may drop to seventh, followed closely by Barcelona, and HAROPA is projected to gain two places to reach tenth place. In a LinkedIn post, Notteboom said the “effects of the Red Sea crisis and the associated shipping network modifications” have been the main driver of growth for the Western Mediterranean and the Atlantic coast in H1 2024.

Source: Port Economics