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The president of Port Tarragona, Josep M Cruset i Domènech, opened the event by remarking that the global pandemic has led to some difficult times in the sector but has brought home to the public the importance of the logistics function in delivering energy, food and consumer goods. Furthermore, periods of change are often full of opportunity and Tarragona has continued to invest in capacity and maintaining continuity, seeing a significant increase in traffic in 2021. Tarragona now handles more than half of the chemicals and liquefied gases imported into Spain and, with plans for greater connectivity – not least the planned arrival of the Mediterranean rail corridor in 2023 – there is more to come.
FOR SOME YEARS now, Port Tarragona has expressed its intent to develop a bulk liquids chemical hub for the western Mediterranean, leveraging its advantages in terms of the
this past 18 and 19 November. The aim is to bring together various interests involved in one way or another with the transport and storage of liquid chemicals in bulk, to discuss
WHERE THE TRADE GOES Port Tarragona has been doing some research into the position of the port and the region as a whole in terms of bulk liquid traffic. Local boy Jordi Anglès Jové, commercial coordinator at Port Tarragona, presented some interesting figures, showing that the main western Mediterranean ports handled a total of 365m tonnes of liquid bulk in 2019, of which 48 per cent was crude oil. Chemicals accounted for just 4 per cent, indicating that there may be room for growth, he said. Perhaps more alarmingly, Anglès said, the region’s ports are highly dependent on hydrocarbons, which account for some 82 per cent of liquids throughput. Ports need to be aware of the oil companies’ strategic plans to meet carbon reduction targets in 2030 and 2050, as well as those of ship operators, especially for ports with a focus on bunkering. Port Tarragona has now moved onto a second phase of research for its internal use, looking at the relationship between current port traffic levels in the region and the location of the main centres of chemical and petrochemical production. Most such chemical parks are located close to ports,
existing infrastructure for chemical production and storage, its deepwater location and its links to the hinterland within Spain. To help pursue that ambition, Port Tarragona has been organising a ‘Med Hub Day’ each November and the fifth such ‘day’ (actually, two half days) took place in a hybrid format
what needs to be done and what common challenges the sector faces. Coming at this point in the Covid pandemic, this fifth Med Hub Day had plenty to talk about, not least the impending impact of decarbonisation and the implementation of the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ carbon reduction targets.
highlighting the crucial role of logistics. However, Anglès noted, Spanish ports differ from others in the region in having a greater diversity of products and terminals, and a more local vision. And within the Spanish market, Tarragona seems best placed to take advantage of emerging trends and
THE PLACE TO BE CHEMICAL HUB • TARRAGONA’S AMBITIONS FOR GROWTH WERE EXPLORED AT THE RECENT MED HUB DAY, WHICH LOOKED AT THE FACILITIES THAT WILL NEED TO BE IN PLACE TO SERVE INDUSTRY IN THE FUTURE
HCB MONTHLY | JANUARY 2022
