Italian
The ports of Venice and Chioggia closed the first half of 2026 with an overall positive balance, consolidating their position as crucial hubs for trade and the economy of the Northern Adriatic. The total volume of goods handled reached 12.7 million tons, a figure that, while showing substantial stability for the Venice port with a marginal increase of 0.2% compared to the same period of the previous year, highlights a remarkable dynamism for the Chioggia port. The latter, despite having inherently smaller volumes, recorded an impressive growth of 14%, handling 470,318 tons, with an increase of 57,883 tons.
VENICE-CHIOGGIA. A detailed analysis of the individual sectors reveals diverse but overall encouraging trends. Liquid bulk, whose management is entirely concentrated in the port of Venice, recorded an 11% decrease. This decline, which brought the total to 3,095,573 tons compared to 3,479,816 tons in the first half of 2025, is attributed to national dynamics that have influenced the sector. In particular, refined petroleum products saw a decrease of 5.3%, falling from 2,741,501 to 2,595,445 tons, while chemical products experienced a more marked contraction of 28.9%, from 563,729 to 400,416 tons. Other liquid bulk also recorded a decrease of 42.8%, settling at 99,712 tons.
On the other hand, the solid bulk sector showed robust growth, reaching over 4.3 million tons in total. This increase was particularly driven by agribulk products, which include cereals, grains, and animal feed. At Porto Marghera, these products exceeded 1.2 million tons, with cereals recording a 28.9% increase (from 322,082 to 415,373 tons) and food/feed/oilseed products an 11.9% increase (from 763,414 to 854,979 tons). Metallurgical products also contributed significantly, with Venice seeing a growth of 13.9%, reaching 1,136,143 tons. Another rapidly expanding sector is that of minerals, cements, and limes, which in Venice recorded an intermediation of 1,172,901 tons, with an increase of 6.7%. This growth has been explicitly linked to the completion of projects funded by the PNRR, highlighting the positive impact of infrastructure investments. In Chioggia, the solid bulk sector showed a different dynamic, with a decrease of 5.9% (from 240,417 to 225,996 tons). However, this decrease was more than compensated by the exceptional growth of various goods in packages, which in the first half of 2026 increased by 42%, reaching 244,322 tons.
The containerized sector continued to show a positive signal of great strategic importance. In the semester, 264,069 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) were handled, representing an increase of 4.6% compared to the previous year, with an increase of 11,627 TEU. Particularly significant is the sharp growth of 9.2% in full containers, a figure that confirms the vital role of the Venetian port system as an entry point for feeding, through imports, the dynamic manufacturing and production fabric of the region and the country.
Expanding the analysis over a one-year period, comparing the July 2025 – June 2026 period with July 2024 – June 2025, the overall picture confirms a trend of robust and sustained growth. The total volume of goods handled by the two ports exceeded 26.2 million tons, marking an increase of over 900,000 tons. Venice recorded 25,316,158 tons, with a growth of 3.1%, while Chioggia showed an even more remarkable performance, with 961,923 tons and an increase of 15%.
Even in this annual comparison, the semiannual dynamics were confirmed. Liquid bulk, predominantly managed at Porto Marghera, recorded a decrease of 7.2%, settling at 6,604,467 tons compared to 7,117,744 tons the previous year. Refined petroleum products decreased by 4.1% (from 5,757,746 to 5,520,022 tons), while chemical products experienced a decline of 23.3% (from 1,067,951 to 818,069 tons).
The agribulk sector maintained its vitality, with over 2.4 million tons handled. Cereals saw a notable increase of 18.3% (from 660,200 to 781,079 tons), and food and feed products in Venice grew by 3.5% (from 1,566,314 to 1,622,387 tons). Very positive signals also came from metallurgical products, which totaled 2,187,825 tons, with an increase of 3.5% (from 2,113,606 tons). Minerals, cements, and limes in Venice showed significant growth of 318,548 tons, equal to 14.9%, reaching 2,448,427 tons, further strengthening the link with PNRR initiatives. In Chioggia, the losses recorded by solid bulk, which saw a decrease of 8% (from 521,312 to 479,223 tons), were more than compensated by the sustained growth of various goods in packages, which marked an impressive +52.8%, intermediation 480,965 tons.
The container sector, concentrated at Porto Marghera, continued its growth trajectory, exceeding 540,000 TEU on an annual basis, with an increase of 10.8%. Again, the growth of full containers was predominant, with a +16.6% (from 351,278 to 409,940 TEU), against a slight decrease in empty containers (-3.9%).
Photo credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chioggia-Porto_turistico-IMG_0289.JPG#/media/File:Chioggia-Porto_turistico-IMG_0289.JPG
