Venice, 28 April 2026 – Traffic data for the first quarter of 2026 at the Port of Venice confirms a growth trend (+1.7%), driven by agri-food products and cement. A slight decline was recorded at the Port of Chioggia (-2.7%) during the quarter; however, the trend remains positive over the last 12 months.
Despite a complex and uncertain international scenario, the quarterly update allows the Venetian port to reach an annual throughput of over 25 million tonnes in the period April 2025–March 2026, marking a +4.4% increase compared to the same period last year. Noteworthy is the growth in solid bulk (an additional 350,000 tonnes) and the increase in container traffic (+9.8%), which approaches 540,000 TEUs. Liquid bulk, on the other hand, continues to decline, in line with 2025.
Cargo handled in Venice is complemented by goods handled in Chioggia, which, over the same timeframe, reaches nearly 900,000 tonnes. Overall, the Venetian port system thus exceeds 26 million tonnes handled in the reference period. In the cruise sector, more than 621,000 passengers were recorded, with strong growth in Venice (+8.3%) offsetting the decline in Chioggia, which recorded 33,261 passengers and requires operational and infrastructural upgrades to consolidate its cruise vocation.
Shifting the focus to the January–March 2026 quarter, the trends identified over the past 12 months are largely confirmed.
In Venice, solid bulk shows a particularly positive performance (+7.2% compared to the first quarter of 2025), with a peak of +14.7% in the cement and minerals sector, partly linked to RRP projects, which—together with other segments showing varying degrees of growth such as animal feed (+6.5%) and metallurgical products (+1.2%)—more than offset coal traffic, which has now been phased out in line with new national energy strategies. The cereals segment remains broadly stable.
General cargo also recorded a good performance (+5.3%), driven by the excellent result in container traffic, which increased by 163,636 tonnes, marking a +5.7% rise in TEUs. Of particular relevance is the positive figure for full containers, which grew by 13.6%, highlighting the economic and commercial value of the Venetian port system. Ro-ro traffic remains broadly stable.
Cruise traffic in the quarter shows a positive trend with the start of the 2026 season, with 10,997 passengers in Venice and the first ship call in Chioggia.
Chioggia also recorded a slight decrease in total traffic (-2.7%); however, in the cargo sector, there was significant growth in general cargo, +62.9%, mainly attributable to the increase in tonnage of steel products.