Spanish ports handle record cargo tonnage in 2016

The president of Spain’s National Ports Authority (Puertos del Estado), Jose´ Llorca, has revealed that the various ports under the organization’s control will have handled 508mt (million tonnes) of cargo by the end of 2016. This actually breaks the previous record for cargo, which was set in 2015, when the ports handled a combined 502mt.

“We will [end the year] on the 508mt mark ... which demonstrates the enormous vitality of Spanish ports in the service of our country’s economy,” said Llorca.

As far as he is concerned, this figure indicates that the Spanish economy is going through a good patch and is second only behind Germany in terms of export capacity and export growth, along with rising domestic consumption.

“This shows the great usefulness of the ports, which are a good thermometer showing the health of the economy, given that when port traffic grows, so does the economy. It’s a positive indication that our country’s economy is developing along a production path and also one based around export capacity,” he said.