In February the European Commission upgraded its economic growth forecasts for 2021 and 2022, pointing to a +3.8% increase in the eurozone, following the 6.8% fall of 2020; whilst GNP is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels by mid-2022. Naturally, these projections depend upon the successful roll out of the vaccination campaign across Europe.
With reference to the Italian port industry, in February the Ports of Genoa, Savona and Vado Ligure recorded total cargo throughput of 4,533,489 tons, a -15.6.% decrease on the corresponding period in 2020 (pre-pandemic), which brings the decline since the beginning of the year to -11.3%. Box throughput has also suffered a setback, registering 210,014 teus, a -9.2% decline on the same month of the previous year, and overall a -5.1 % drop since January of this year. Containerised cargo fell by -12.7% compared to 2020, with a reduction in both full containers (-10%) and empty containers (-6.5%).
Conventional cargo, which groups together ro-ro tonnage and specialised cargo, dipped by -2.2%, down to 1,132,828 tons, to a total of approximately 2.2 million tons in the first two months of the year, a slight -2.9% decline on the pre-pandemic levels registered at the beginning of 2020. Solid bulk performed strongly, a +15.8% increase compared to the corresponding period in 2020. In the liquid bulk sector, vegetable oils and wine picked up by a staggering +153% on the previous year, whilst mineral oils fell by -36.6%.
The Passenger Ports of Genoa and Savona continue to suffer a severe setback, -77.4% decrease on February 2020, with the cruise sector plummeting by -91.5%, due to the prolonged lockdown measures at the beginning of the year which once again brought cruise calls to a halt across the country.
Traffic Ports of Genoa – February 2021 >
Traffic Ports of Genova e Pra’ - February 2021 >
Traffic Ports of Savona and Vado – February 2021 >
