The five ports of general interest in the Balearics handled 6.5 million tonnes in the first half of the year, an increase of 10% over the same period in 2020. While still far from the 8.4 million of the first half of 2019 (pre-pandemic), signs of recovery of port traffic are already beginning to be noticed.

In terms of the type of goods, general merchandise (consumer goods) will increase by 12% in this half year (from 5.2 million tonnes to 5.8 million tonnes in 2021). On the other hand, liquid bulks (primarily fuels) are down -9% compared to the first half of 2020, and solid bulks (cement, aggregates, etc.) are down -5%, from 673,000 tonnes in the same period of 2020 to 515,000 tonnes in 2021.

The ports of La Savina and Alcúdia have seen the greatest recovery in their traffic, with an increase of 34% and 32%, respectively, in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2020. Meanwhile, Eivissa grew by 10% and Palma and Maó by 7%.

Passenger traffic

Lastly, passenger traffic is expected to grow by 43% overall, from 1.1 million in the first half of 2020 to 1.6 million in 2021. This recovery is especially visible in La Savina (+109%), Alcúdia (+77%) and Eivissa (+72%), while in Maó the increase is more modest (+27%). In contrast, the port of Palma has seen the number of passengers passing through its terminals fall by -29%, as a result of a 15% increase in regular shipping lines and a -98% drop in the number of cruise passengers.

You can check all relevant statistics here.