PCT – Decline in container handling in November

In November, piers II and III of the port of Piraeus, managed by Piraeus Container Terminals, a subsidiary of Cosco Shipping Ports, recorded a new drop in cargo handling.

According to the data announced by Cosco Shipping Ports, for the handling of cargo in 37 ports that it controls around the world, the two piers in Piraeus handled cargo of 365.5 thousand Teu in November against 383.8 thousand Teu in the corresponding month of 2020 (decrease of 4.8%) and in the eleven months of 2021 handled 4,390.8 thousand teu compared to 4,487.5 thousand teu in the eleven months of 2020, recording a decrease of 2.2%. This development is mainly attributed to the strikes in the port by dock workers but also the tugs as well as the ban due to bad weather that was imposed for two days in November. Cargo handling in the 37 ports of Cosco Shipping Ports increased by 4.1% in the eleven months of this year compared to last year.

It is also worth noting that Cosco Shipping Ports recorded a new increase in container traffic in the main rival of Piraeus, the port of Valencia. In particular, the subsidiary of Cosco Shipping Ports, COSCO SHIPPING Ports (Spain) Terminals S.L.U. traded in November 2021 299 thousand Teu against 298.4 thousand in November 2020 and in the eleven months of 2021 3,315.8 million Teu against 3,091.2 thousand Teu in the period January-November 2020, recording an increase of 7.3%. It is noted that COSCO SHIPPING Ports (Spain) Terminals is one of the largest companies operating with terminals in the port of Valencia. The entire port of Valencia in the nine months of 2021 handled a total of 4,217.1 thousand Teu, while the port of Piraeus handled 4,126.5 (465,584 TEU the pier I of PPA and 3,660.9 Teu the piers II and III of SEP). So Piraeus retreated again behind Valencia in the Mediterranean.