Port accessIn 2016, the Port of Bilbao handled 31.9 million tonnes, a figure very similar to the previous year’s, but with a slight loss of 450,000 tonnes, that is, -1.39%, without including, as always local traffic and provisioning.
Increases in traffic of goods such as gasoil, (+288,000 tonnes), cement and clinker (+209,000 tonnes), petroleum coke (+121,000 tonnes) and chemical products (+97,000 tonnes) checked to a great extent the important fall in gas (-523,200 tonnes) and the scarce activity at the ACB steelworks (-324,000 tonnes of scrap metal and – 310,000 tonnes of iron ore). Even so, exports increased 1%, which is an indicator that in general, companies are continuing their recovery and internationalisation.
In this overview of the year’s activity, which will be published with more detailed information about markets and economic data in the near future, the Port Authority considers “it is necessary to look at the tendency of the four previous years”.
During this time, accumulated economic growth was 10%, after a five-year long crisis (from 2008 to 2012) which brought a 25% regression with it.
This is why the Port Authority is optimistic and confident that this coming year will again provide positive results.
