Seaborne passenger transport on the rise in 2022

In 2022, the EU ports continued to recover strongly, as maritime passenger transport reached 348.6 million passengers, marking a 30% increase from 2021 (267.9 million passengers), and a 51% increase compared with 2020 (230.1 million). However, the figures for 2022 remain 17% below the pre-COVID levels of 2019.

This information comes from data on maritime transport published by Eurostat today. This article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article on maritime passenger statistics.

Following a steady decline from 2008 to 2014, with an exception in 2013, the total number of passengers that embarked and disembarked in EU ports was on the rise between 2014 and 2019. After the peak in 2019 with 418.5 million passengers, a sharp decline (-45%) followed in the COVID-19-affected 2020. In 2021 and 2022, the number of passengers rebounded.

Source dataset: mar_mp_aa_cph

Greece and Italy remained the leading countries for EU seaborne passenger transport

In 2022, Greece, Italy, and Denmark accounted for nearly half of seaborne passenger transport in the EU. Greek ports recorded 70.1 million passengers (20% of the EU total), followed by Italy with 53.8 million (15%), and Denmark with 41.2 million passengers (12%). Croatia and Spain also had substantial numbers, with 33.0 million (9%) and 31.3 million (9%) passengers, respectively.

When comparing 2022 with 2021, the number of seaborne passengers increased in 18 out of the 21 EU countries with available data. The biggest increase in the number of passengers was recorded in Greece (+17.8 million passengers; +34%), Spain (+12.4 million; +66%), Germany (+8.2 million; +42%), and France (+8.0 million; +73%).

Two countries recorded decreases: Italy (-4.0 million passengers; -7%) and Cyprus (-10 000; -35%).

Source dataset: mar_mp_aa_cph

Only two countries surpassed the 2019 figures, when passenger transport peaked before the COVID-19 setback: Slovenia (+3 000, +12.2%) and Bulgaria (+2 000, +37.2%).

Messina continued to be the largest EU passenger port in 2022

The top 5 busiest EU passenger ports included 4 Mediterranean ports and one in the Baltic Sea. Messina in Italy remained the busiest EU passenger port in 2022, with 9.4 million passengers. It was followed by Reggio di Calabria in Italy (8.8 million passengers), Piraeus in Greece (8.3 million), Helsinki in Finland (8.0 million) and Palma de Mallorca in Spain (7.7 million). 

Source dataset: mar_mp_aa_pphd

For all the 5 ports, passenger traffic increased in 2022 compared with 2021. The port of Helsinki experienced the biggest increase, with a significant growth of 112.8%. Piraeus recorded a rise of 38.5%, followed by Palma de Mallorca, with a 32.0% increase. Number of passengers increased in Messina (14.1%) and Reggio di Calabria (9.0%), at a smaller rate.  

Passenger traffic remained below the pre-pandemic 2019 levels for all the top 5 ports: Helsinki (-31.5%), Messina (-19.3%), Reggio di Calabria (-18.8%), Piraeus (-11.4%), and Palma de Mallorca (-2.1%).