The port market started 2016 with its highest ever value compared to the same months of the previous year, registering a movement of 7,3 million tons in January alone. This represents an 8,2% increase compared to the same period of the previous year, which, according to the Mobility and Transport Authority (AMT), is explained by the continued growth trend observed.
This overall behavior reflects what was observed in most ports, with particular emphasis on Sines and Aveiro, which recorded the highest values in this first month of the year, with variations of +7,6% and +20%, respectively, compared to January 2015. In contrast, Figueira da Foz and Faro were the ports that recorded the lowest values, with a decrease of -15,1% and -56,4%, respectively.
In terms of overall cargo volume handled, Sines maintains its leading position with 51,4%, a slight decrease of -0,3% compared to 2015. The port of Leixões accounts for 19,9%, an increase of +0,9%, followed by Lisbon with 11,2% (up from 11% in 2015) and Setúbal with 9%, a decrease of -0,7% compared to the same period last year.
In the container market, January 2016 showed a decrease of -2,4% compared to the same period in 2015, which is explained by the accumulated growth of +48,5% that has been observed in the same months since 2011. However, Leixões and Setúbal registered a higher value than in January 2015, with increases of +13,4% and +24,9%, respectively, reaching the highest values ever for this month with 54,1 and 11,9 TEU, respectively. Sines decreased by -1,8%, to 100 TEU, and Lisbon registered a decline of -27,3%, handling 29 TEU. In this segment, the port of Sines was responsible for 51% of the total TEUs handled, followed by Leixões, with a share of 27,6%, Lisbon, which decreased to 14,8%, and Setúbal, which increased to 6,1%.
Commercial ports on the mainland also recorded an increase compared to January 2015. In the first month of this year alone, 830 ship calls of various types were recorded, corresponding to a gross tonnage (GT) of 13,9 million. This represents a variation of +1,2% and +5,2%, respectively, compared to the records for the same month in 2015. The overall GT volume is thus the highest ever recorded in the month of January, a consequence of the movement observed in the ports of Douro and Leixões, Aveiro and Sines, with positive variations of +1,7%, +17% and +24,1%, respectively. The ports of Figueira da Foz and Lisbon recorded a decrease in the number of ships (-18,1%), corresponding to -21,9% and -25,2% in GT, respectively.
In the cargo market, the Solid Bulk market deserves particular mention, with an increase of +31,2% compared to January 2015, due to the movement of Coal and Agricultural Products, with increases of +43,8% and +159,5%, respectively, the highest values recorded in the month of January. In the General Cargo market, there was an increase of 4,4%, driven by the movement of Containerized and Ro-Ro cargo, with positive variations of +6,9% and +33,8%, respectively, values never before seen in the month of January.
Cargo shipped from the hinterland of commercial ports reached an estimated volume of approximately 2,4 million tons in January 2016, a decrease of about -6% compared to the same period in 2015. This was due to a general drop in the volume of cargo shipped, the most significant being containerized cargo and petroleum products, which decreased by -8,7% and -6,6%, respectively.
Regarding the volume of cargo unloaded, in which "imports" generally represent more than 90%, there was an increase of 16,5% compared to the value recorded in January 2015, largely influenced by the increase in imports of coal and agricultural products. Containerized cargo, with a volume representing 22,3% (including transshipment traffic), registered an increase of +5,6%.
Viana do Castelo, Figueira da Foz and Setúbal continue to be the ports that register a higher number of shipments (cargo loaded) than landings (cargo landed), with a ratio of 82%, 65% and 51,4%, respectively.
