Vigo has been considered in many occasions as the big door of the Atlantic Ocean. Its port, the main one in Europe with regard to fish unloads and one of the most important in the world in the same field, has became an essential source of wealth for Galicia in general and for Vigo in particular.

During 2008, the port has dealt with financial difficulties and has increased fish unloading by 4% in comparison with 2007, overcoming 866,000 tons of fish, and other derivative products, per year. Frozen fish unloading in Vigo also raised and surpassed 660,000 tons per year, with an increase of 3.5% against 637,891 tons registered in 2007. Most frozen products —almost 80%— arrived to Vigo in containers, exactly 524,587 tons. This involves an 8% increase in the traffic of frozen fish in containers compared to 2007. The rest came from merchant ships and freezing vessels.

In the case of fresh fish, results show a slight drop, but the total is still much higher than in the rest of Spanish ports. With a slight difference of 850 tons with respect to 2007 —hardly 1% less than the previous financial year—, Vigo is still leader regarding fresh fisheries products unloading. Figures speak for themselves: in 2008, the total unloading amounted to 88,865 tons of fresh fish; a sum that far exceeds the figures of A Coruña, the second Spanish port with these types of unloading, which, in November, registered a total amount of 29,778 tons.

Moreover, according to the balance of the Port Authority of Vigo for 2008, food, mainly coming from fisheries, has became one of the most unloaded products during last year —they registered a total amount of 74,249 tons against the 61,185 tons of 2007— increasing by 21% along this period.

MORE CRUSTACEANS AND MOLLUSCS

A total amount of 88,865 tons of fresh fish were transferred at the Port of Vigo during 2008 and crustacean unloads were the ones that benefited from a higher increase during the last financial year, 15% exactly, with almost 340 unloaded tons. A big part of this increase is due to the 227.4 tons of Norway lobster that arrived to Vigo in 2008, 46% more than in 2007.

The amount of unloaded molluscs at the Port of Vigo during last year has also risen by 2.4%, reaching 6,275 tons. It is important to mention that this figure does not include bed-farmed mussels and oysters which, in 2008, summed around 38,000 tons and turn the group of molluscs into the most important one in the port with regard to unloading, with more than 44,200 tons.

Fish rank second with a total annual amount of 42,417 tons, 3.86% less than in 2007. It was the only group that suffered a drop. The most unloaded species was megrim with 5,677 tons, 3.17% more than in 2007. Vigo also received more sardines —exactly 2,683 tons— and more anglerfish —almost 3,000 tons—, although that was not the case of Atlantic pomfret, horse mackerel or ray; these are important species for the Galician port but, in 2008, they registered lower unloading than in 2007.

DIVERSITY AS ANTIDOTE

Fish is not the only merchandise transferred each day at the Port of Vigo. The automotive industry, containers and passengers have become strategic mainstays for the activity of the port.

Containers and passengers broke historical records in 2008. With regard to the load and unload of containers, Vigo moved 247,885 TEUS, against the 244,065 registered in 2007, which represented, up to now, its historical maximum. Something similar happened with the traffic of cruise ships, which brought more than 216,000 passengers to the port of Vigo, a striking 44% more than in 2007.

The final result is clearly positive (especially taking into account the financial difficulties through which the world is going): during 2008, the Port of Vigo transferred more than 5 million tons of merchandises, exactly 5,064,076 tons, the second highest figure of the history with regard to general merchandise and the third one in overall traffic.

HAVING A LOOK TO THE FUTURE

One of the priorities of the Port of Vigo for 2009 is to improve the operating capacity of the current commercial harbours. Although in 2008 the number of vessels arriving to the port of Vigo was slightly reduced —it passed from 2,513 to 2,481 in a year—, their size was considerably greater, reaching a total accumulated amount of 37,811,543 GT in 2008. Given this data, and aiming to facilitate and favour the arrival of these big vessels, the Port Authority of Vigo expects to assign a budget of 15 million Euros for 2009 in order to extend the berthage and draft of the commercial harbours. The development of the Bouzas terminal and the execution of different actions at the fishing port are among the commitments set by the Port Authority of Vigo for 2009.

Furthermore, the procedures to create the future Motorway of the Sea that will link Vigo with the ports of Nantes, Le Havre and Algeciras, with a total of 10 departures and 10 arrivals every week, continue. The candidacy, headed by Transmediterranea, will have to create an exploiting society to complete the road transport and offer a higher and more dynamic loading and unloading capacity thanks to RORO vessels, for which the Port of Vigo has special loading ramps.