Message from the President

In 2017 the Port of Barcelona made a quantum leap, positioning us at a new stage. We have achieved historic results in the main orders of magnitude: 61 million tonnes of total traffic (+26%), 3 million TEU (+32%), 14.5 million tonnes of liquid bulk (+27%) and 4.1 million passengers (+4.5%). These record figures and rates of growth are reflected not only in the annual snapshot, but can be seen on a month-by-month basis, and have occurred within a context in which the Spanish and Catalan economies have grown by 3.1% and 3.4% respectively.

Furthermore, it is worth underlining that we are the fastest-growing port in Europe and also that the data registered indicate that we have generally returned to pre-crisis levels. This fact is especially significant in the case of import containers, which exceed the results obtained in 2007 for the first time. Overall, we can say that we are in a radically different situation to that of ten years ago and our results clearly reflect the progression of the economy in our surrounding area.

There is no doubt that this leap in scale is directly related to the investments performed by the Port of Barcelona in recent years, which has allowed us to double the Port area to 1,300 hectares while increasing the capacity of terminals and wharves. The Port has therefore been able to better adapt to the needs of the market and to the changes in the maritime industry, with the merging and concentration of shipping companies, the trend towards increasingly larger vessels and new operational and sustainability requirements. The change in scale also has to do with the expansion of the Port’s market through our strategy of increasing our presence in the hinterland, materialised in the network of inland maritime terminals in key locations in our area of influence, such as Aragon, Madrid, Navarre and the South of France, among others.

Likewise, the increase in activity has brought positive economic results: net turnover of the Port of Barcelona’s business stood at € 167 million, up 7% year on year, with a profit of € 50 million (+50%). I would highlight our ability to generate cash flow, which currently stands at € 98 million, marking a year-on-year rise of 14%. It should not be forgotten that the Port’s investments are performed using its own resources, therefore sound economic and financial management has been crucial in this decisive push.

In this connection, in 2017 the Port of Barcelona managed to significantly reduce its long-term debt contracted with the European Investment Bank (EIB). This year, we reduced our indebtedness by 8% to € 281.1 million, representing 21% of equity.

During this financial year, the Port invested a total € 56.6 million, more than 50 million of which were used for infrastructures; a large part of this was dedicated to improving and extending railway infrastructures. In accordance with the intermodal and port accessibility strategy, the new road and rail access of the Álvarez de la Campa wharf and the reception and dispatch terminal of the Prat wharf were completed in 2017, while work continued to enlarge the railway terminal on Príncep d’Espanya wharf. In addition, the Port of Barcelona has private investment projects ongoing in all its areas as a result of the trust and involvement of the companies located within it.

In the business area, the Port of Barcelona’s action is geared towards boosting competitiveness, growth and sustainability. One way to be more competitive as a port community is to offer quality assurance in operations. This is the goal of the Port Efficiency Network Quality Label, which already covers a total of 85 companies and which this year has extended the certification in the area of Vessel Services. We have also seen the presentation of a new edition of the Port Barcelona Challenge, the business acceleration programme that is being developed in collaboration with the Founder Institute, and which aims to promote the creation of new technology - based companies that can help improve the efficiency, competitiveness and service excellence of the port community.

As regards growth, we are also using intense commercial promotion actions to reach our near and far-afield markets and to adapt to their new needs, many of which are linked to digitalisation, in addition to exchanging knowledge and training. In this connection, to cite just a few examples, the Port has continued to work intensively within the Digital Port project; it hosted the ChainPORT Academy, an event organised by the international network of smart ports of the same name; it developed an extensive training programme for import-export companies, and organised the second edition of Port Innova - Barcelona Port Hackathon, a project involving vocational training students and companies in the port sector and situates the Port as a benchmark in sectoral innovation.

Sustainability is also a central theme at the Port of Barcelona, an element clearly shown in 2017 with the Sectoral Sustainability Plan, which contains an action plan drafted as a result of a process dialogue and reflection by the 53 companies and institutions that took part in the Sustainability Report 2016. This key issue is not merely theoretical, however, but is backed up by a whole series of concrete actions during the year, some of which are linked to the Air Quality Improvement Plan.

Thus, the Port of Barcelona has continued to make progress in three pilot projects based on the use of natural gas as an alternative fuel for ships, vehicles and terminal machinery: adapting two straddle carriers to run on natural gas, designing a tug powered by natural gas and commissioning a mobile generator to supply electricity to ro-ro ships. These initiatives are led by the Port of Barcelona and are part of the European CORE LNGas hive programme to promote natural gas as a fuel in the maritime and port area. The Port has also invested nearly a million euros in promoting electric mobility with the incorporation of 31 electric and hybrid vehicles to its fleet, replacing old diesel and petrol-engine vehicles and designing and building 47 charging points for electric vehicles. Furthermore, as a way to encourage the transport of new vehicles on the motorways of the sea, the Port is taking part in the CarEsmatic project along with the Slovenian port of Koper. The project is supported by the European Commission’s 2015 CEF (Connecting Europe Facility) programme, which is paying 30% of the budgeted costs. This initiative will analyse logistical needs for electric vehicles and how ports and the various operators must adapt to meet these demands.

With the upscaling achieved in 2017, the Port of Barcelona has reached a significant milestone, which increases the challenge we are facing. Now the short- and medium-term objective is to consolidate this quantum leap we have achieved with the collective effort of the entire Port Community. And this path is marked by the axes established by the Port of Barcelona Strategic Plan, with which all of our actions are aligned. Only by being competitive and true to our principles of economic, social and environmental sustainability can we continue to contribute value to the economy and we will continue to be a crucial and decisive infrastructure for the country.