The container traffic results in the ports of Genoa and Savona-Vado in April 2024 are encouraging, according to the Port Authority of the Western Ligurian Sea. The port system closed April with 259,859 TEUs, marking a 12.7% increase compared to the same month in 2023, dispelling fears of a further decline due to the Red Sea crisis. In fact, it seems that the situation in the Middle East has supported Ligurian traffic.
Genoa, in particular, grew by 9.3%, and Savona by 42.1%. Container traffic at the two ports in the first four months of 2024 stands at 919,178 TEUs, an increase of 2.3% compared to the previous year. Breaking down the types of activities, transshipment rose by 72.7% from April, thanks mainly to the increased volumes in Vado Ligure, which went from 2,129 to 10,603 TEUs. These traffics are "connected to some spot calls that were necessary due to the cancellation of services caused by the inability to cross the Red Sea," explained the Port Authority.
Gateway traffic of full containers increased overall by 6.2%, with a 6.7% increase in exports and a 5.4% increase in imports. The contrast between the decline in March and the rise in April makes the reading of the geopolitical tensions' impact on Mediterranean traffic "not entirely clear."
