European ports alone handled more than 3 billion tonnes of seaborne goods in 2013. The latest Eurostat figures for this period show us which countries loaded and unloaded the most goods. The Euroregió de l'Arc Mediterrani (Euram), which brings together Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Andorra and Northern Catalonia, stakes a claim in this sector for the areas it represents. With Spain third in the ranking, some 36.4% of the goods activity is accounted for by these areas.
Moving on to the figures for Europe, Euram accounts for 4.3% of the volume of seaborne goods handled by the 10 European countries with the best figures. The clear leader is the Netherlands, which has Europe's largest port in Rotterdam. The United Kingdom's strong maritime tradition, with ports such as London, Liverpool and Southampton, places it second on the list. Just behind is Spain, with a third of its seaborne goods passing through the Mediterranean. Barcelona, Tarragona and Valencia are the main points. 