- Greece, Italy, and Denmark Lead in Vessel Calls at EU Ports.
- Long-Term Growth in Port Traffic: Malta, Croatia, and Spain Show Major Increases.
- Finland, Latvia, and Bulgaria Report Declines in Vessel Calls Since 2013.
In 2023, there were an estimated 2.2 million vessels handling freight or embarking and disembarking passengers in the main EU ports. This is up by 1.5% from the year before. Such an increase means that maritime traffic has been constantly on the rise in the region, reports Eurostat.
Best Countries for Port Calls
The highest number of port calls was recorded in Greece with 477,115 vessels, followed by Italy with 449,131 vessels and Denmark with 322,230 vessels. At the bottom end were Slovenia, Cyprus, and Bulgaria, which recorded the lowest numbers of port calls with 1,760, 2,090, and 2,851 vessels, respectively.
Long-Term Growth and Declines
Over the last ten years, there has been a significant change in port traffic. Compared with 2013, 12 of the 22 reporting EU countries reported increases in the number of vessels calling at their ports. The largest growth was seen in Malta (+100.8%), Croatia (+40.3%), and Spain (+31.0%). The largest declines were reported by Finland (-26.6%), Latvia (-24.3%), and Bulgaria (-21.2%).
Increase in Average Vessel Size
Average gross vessel size visiting the main EU ports increased in 2023 to 8,058 tonnes, a rise of 5.2% from 2022 (7,662 tonnes). This compares with an 18.1% increase over 2013, showing that the average vessel size is still growing in size, reflecting the trend towards bigger vessels calling within the EU.
Largest and Smallest Countries
Belgium registered the largest average vessel size in 2023, with 32,446 tonnes, followed by Slovenia (29,578 tonnes) and France (29,173 tonnes). In contrast, the countries with the smallest average vessel sizes included Croatia (1,533 tonnes), Greece (3,264 tonnes), and Denmark (3,573 tonnes).
Notable Changes in Vessel Size by Country
Compared with 2022, Italy witnessed the largest growth of an average vessel size, at 25.6%, followed by Bulgaria (+15.4%), and Romania (+14.6%). On the other hand, Malta (-6.1%), Denmark (-3.8%), and Latvia (-1.6%) realized the biggest decreases of an average vessel size. In total, 19 member states of the EU revealed growths in vessel size against 2022, while 20 countries witnessed growth against 2013.
Did you subscribe to our daily Newsletter?
It’s Free Click here to Subscribe!
Source: Eurostat
