From 1 January to 30 June 2023, 12.2 million passengers passed through Croatia's seaports, which was 7.3% more than in the corresponding period of 2022, the national statistical office (DZS) has reported.

As many as 147,500 vessels arrived in the seaports, or 5.5% more than in the 2022 H1.

Of those 12.2 million passengers, more than 9.2 million passengers embarked or disembarked in the seaports in the second quarter of 2023, and compared to the same period of 2022, it was an increase of 9.4%.

In the April-June 2023 period, the seaport of Split had the highest number of passengers, 1.4 million, or 11.5% more than in the second quarter of 2022. It was followed by the port of Dubrovnik, (38,500 or +19.5%). Zadar made it top three (672,000, +8.6%).

In the 2023 Q2, 393,000 disembarked from cruise ships and visited, among others, the ports of Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and Šibenik. Compared to the second quarter of 2022, it was an increase of 54.2%,the DZS reports.

Decrease in traffic of goods in first half of 2023

In the first half of 2023, the total amount of cargo handled by Croatia’s seaports fell 1.5% to 12.1 million tonnes.

In the second quarter of 2023, the total traffic of goods amounted to 6.2 million tonnes, which means it decreased by 13.4% compared to the same period of 2022.

“This is a result of the decrease in the traffic of dry bulk goods of 31.3% (with the share of 26% in the total traffic of goods),” the DZS reports on its web site.

“On the other hand, the traffic of liquid bulk goods (with the share of 48% in the total traffic of goods) increased by 4.4% and the tonnes of containerised goods (with the share of 17% in the total traffic of goods) by 2.6%.”

Of the five ports that account for 93% of the total traffic of goods in seaports, the decrease in the second quarter of 2023 was recorded in the ports of Ploče (18.0%), Rijeka (7.5%), Split (10.9%) and Bakar (37.4%), as compared to the second quarter of 2022.