BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 28. European Union sea ports handled approximately 3.4 billion tons of freight in 2023, a 3.9% decrease compared to the previous year’s 3.5 billion tons, according to data from Eurostat, Trend reports.
However, the volume of freight showed a 5% increase compared to 2013, which recorded 3.2 billion tons, the statistics say.
The largest share of goods handled in EU ports last year was coal and lignite, crude petroleum, and natural gas, making up 21% of the total volume. This was followed by coke and petroleum products (16.1%), metal ores and mining products (7.2%), and agricultural, forestry, and fisheries products (6.8%). Chemicals, rubber, plastics, and nuclear fuel collectively accounted for 6.4%, while food products, beverages, and tobacco represented 4.7% of total freight.
Among EU countries, the Netherlands continued to lead with 545 million tons of freight handled, despite a 7.6% decrease from 2022. Italy followed with 501 million tons, down 1.7%, while Spain recorded 472 million tons, representing a 3.7% decline.
In total, 17 out of 22 EU countries reported a decrease in freight volume in 2023 compared to the previous year. Estonia saw the largest drop with a 31% decline, followed by Latvia with a 21.5% decrease and Finland with a 9% reduction.