For the first time in its history, over 40 million tons of goods were registered at Bilbao Port in 2007. Trade with Atlantic European countries, which has increased by 3%, counts for almost half of the total. The main European markets are Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom. Container trade with the European Atlantic region, which was not very dynamic in 2006, has registered the highest increase in total figures with an 8% rise, especially with France and Finland.

This increase can be explained by the contribution of new maritime services, among which we can mention the shipping companies Transfennica, which connects Bilbao and Zeebrugge three times a week (containers and trailers), and, since February, MacAndrews - Scandinavian Express for goods in containers for Goteborg (Sweden) as well as WEC Holland Maas which also transports containers to the Canary Islands and Morocco.

In the case of long distance routes, trade to or from the Atlantic regions of North America have shown the greatest increase, 14%. This is followed by trade with the Indian Ocean region of Asia, the Atlantic region of Africa, the Pacific region of Asia and the Atlantic region of South America. The leading country concerning dry shipments is China. This Asian giant accounts for 10% of this type of goods. It is followed by Brazil, with an 8% market share and the United States, with 7%.

The greatest growth level has been displayed by India, an emerging economy that has grown by 67% and that, for the first time, occupies the sixth position in long distance trade. The second greatest rise came from China, in line with its trend over recent years, which has grown by 59%. We can also mention the growth attributed to the United States (+ 50%) and Brazil (+ 35%).

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Source: UNIPORT