Ports of Genoa set record annual container volume in 2021
The Ports of Genoa, Savona and Vado Ligure set a new annual container volume record for 2021, reporting 2,781,112 TEUs, up +11.3% on the previous year and +4.2% on 2019, thereby consolidating its leadership in the Mediterranean as centre of cargo handling excellence for ocean trade, reports the Press Office of Ports of Genoa.
“The Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority responded robustly to the economic crisis of 2020 generated by the Covid-19 pandemic and, despite ongoing disruptions to the global supply chain, performed strongly, registering a +10.3% increase on the previous year in total cargo throughput. Key drivers to the growth in traffic are the successful completion of the operational start-up phase of Vado Gateway and the opening of the Bettolo-Genoa Mediterranean Gateway Terminal at the end of 2020”, - analyzed the annual statistics the President of the Port Authority Paolo Signorini.
The conventional general cargo segment, which includes the ro-ro product group, rose by +12.4% on 2020 to a total of 14,816,362 tons and dipped only -2.8% below 2019 levels, pointing to a rebound in one of the port's leading commodity sectors. The solid bulk industry shows signs of recovery across the past year, with the Ports of Genoa, Savona and Vado posting 2,520,866 tons, a 16.5% advance on 2020, but a -19% contraction on pre-Covid levels of 2019. Mineral oils are up by +11.5% on the previous year, but still -14% down on 2019, with 17,844,537 tons; whilst the liquid food bulk segment - vegetable oils and wine - continue to grow.
Passenger traffic remains the port sector most severely impacted by the repercussions of the pandemic. The ferry terminals handled a total of 1,897,192 passengers, an improvement on the previous year of +41.6%, but still lagging behind 2019 throughput levels (-25%).
The cruise terminals reported a passenger count of 591,391 in 2021, still far behind the pre-Covid era. Nevertheless, the Ports of Genoa continue to play a leading role in the cruise industry, with Genoa ranking as premier homeport in the Mediterranean, and Savona amongst the Top 10 Med ports, as outlined by the annual Italian Cruise Watch report.
