2020: Ranking of European Ports
In the pandemic year 2020, the 15 European ports with the most container traffic handled 76.8 million teu, 2.8% less than in 2019.
Some of the ports registered significant double-digit downturns in H1/2020, but a generalised recovery in the second half of the year allowed them to reduce the impact of the pandemic.
The Dutch port of Rotterdam handled, for yet another year, the highest amount of containers with 14.35 million teu, 3.2% below the previous year. Antwerp was the only major European port to witness growth (+1.4%) with a total of 12 million teu moved in 2020.
Hamburg completed the Big Three with a decline of 7.9% to 8.5 million teu. Valencia suffered a 9.1% drop in container traffic in H1/2020, which recovered to an annual decrease of only 0.5%.
With 5.4 million teu moved in 2020, it ranked fifth among European ports and closed up to the Greek port of Piraeus, which was more affected by the pandemic, with a 3.6% drop in container traffic and moving a total of 5,437,000 teu.
Algeciras, handling 5.1 million teu last year, 0.4% less than in 2019, was the Spanish port least affected by the pandemic and in sixth place in Europe. The Port of Barcelona handled 2.96 million teu and defended its 10th position in the European ranking. (cd)