TRIESTE – Oil products, containers and ro-ro traffic are driving growth at the port of Ravenna. The positive trend continued in May and in the first five months of the year cruise passenger numbers almost doubled.
In the first four months of the year, the port handled 9.27 million tonnes of cargo, up 5.8% compared with the same period in 2025, while in the first five months overall traffic is estimated at almost 11.7 million tonnes (+5.1%). The initial data provided by the Port System Authority for the January-April period had indicated total throughput of more than 9.4 million tonnes, up 8.4%.
The final figures for the first four months show total throughput of 9,267,056 tonnes, equal to more than 505,000 tonnes more than in the same period of the previous year.
For May, preliminary data from the Port Community System indicate throughput of around 2.4 million tonnes, up 2.5% compared with May last year. Among the most dynamic sectors were oil products (+66.4%), solid chemicals (+45%), metallurgical products (+15%) and solid agri-food products (+5.2%).
In the period January-May 2026, overall traffic is estimated at almost 11.7 million tonnes (+5.1%). Solid agri-food products rose (+1.9%), as did solid chemicals (+22.5%), oil products (+43.5%), building materials (+0.3%) and metallurgical products (+0.6%). Containerised traffic was also positive, with a 2.1% increase in TEUs and a 1.7% rise in cargo handled, while the number of trailers grew by 3.3% and cargo on trailers by 5.3%.
Encouraging signs also came from the cruise sector. In the first five months of 2026, the Ravenna terminal recorded 19 calls and 55,832 passengers, including 53,564 in home port. In the same period of 2025, there had been 17 calls and 30,772 cruise passengers, confirming a strong expansion of cruise activity at the Romagna port.
Between January and April 2026, the positive performance was mainly supported by liquid products, which reached 1,854,935 tonnes, up 16.6%, and by oil products, which recorded the most significant result with 1,337,969 tonnes handled, equal to a 37.1% increase and almost 362,000 tonnes more than in 2025.
Dry cargo totalled 7,412,121 tonnes, up 3.4%. Within this segment, containerised cargo reached 830,989 tonnes (+4.4%), while ro-ro cargo rose to 549,111 tonnes (+7.3%).
In the agri-food sector, throughput remained stable at 1,925,253 tonnes. Cereals grew, reaching 970,709 tonnes (+10.6%), while flours (-8.6%), oilseeds (-33.8%) and animal and vegetable oils (-7.1%) declined.
Building materials also performed positively, with 1,527,357 tonnes handled (+4.9%), as did raw materials for the Sassuolo ceramic district, which rose to 1,331,951 tonnes (+2.7%). Fertilisers also increased, with 760,554 tonnes (+15.5%).
Negative items included metallurgical products, down to 1,939,396 tonnes (-3%), and chemicals, steady at 254,110 tonnes (-22.5%).
On the container front, the port handled 74,969 TEUs in the first four months of the year, up 3.9% compared with 2025. Container ship calls remained stable at 148. Ro-ro traffic performed very positively: trailers and rolling stock recorded a 28.9% increase in the number of units handled, reaching 35,968 units, while cargo transported rose by 7.3%.
The Ravenna-Brindisi-Catania line handled 22,200 trailers, up 4.6%. Particularly significant was the jump in the automotive segment, which reached 9,744 vehicles handled, more than double the figure for the first four months of 2025.
