France seaport freight traffic: crude oil cargo
France seaport freight traffic: crude oil cargo stood at 49.89 million tonnes in 2025, according to SDES – Service des données et études statistiques (Ministère de la Transition écologique). It is one of the indicators in the Freight transport (annual) table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 2000 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Freight transport (annual) table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cargo by type, all ports | |||||||||||
| Crude oil | 49.89 | 47.99 | 48.88 | 44.48 | 36.55 | 38.3 | 51.9 | 56.79 | 60.48 | 59.01 | |
| Refined petroleum products | 48.5 | 47.74 | 47.49 | 47.61 | 49.04 | 50.9 | 54.46 | 54.73 | 53.87 | 53.82 |
Understanding france seaport freight traffic: crude oil cargo
Isolating the physical mass of unrefined petroleum arriving at or departing from maritime terminals, this metric focuses strictly on crude oil cargo. It measures the raw feedstock destined for domestic refineries or transshipment abroad, utilizing specialized offshore moorings and deep-water berths. The scope is limited exclusively to crude mineral oils, leaving out refined petroleum products, petrochemicals, and all non-petroleum liquid bulk commodities.
Interpreting crude oil port data requires close attention to international petroleum supply agreements, refinery utilization rates, and geopolitical energy factors. Year-on-year analysis is generally more informative than sequential period comparisons because refinery overhaul cycles and tanker scheduling can create erratic annual entry points. Analysts must avoid equating crude tonnage with refined product output, as processing yields and losses alter the final volume of usable fuels produced from the raw material.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this series include synthetic crude or heavy bitumen blends?
- Yes, unconventional crude petroleum varieties transported in tankers are included within the crude oil cargo definition.
- Are offshore platform extractions delivered directly via pipeline counted here?
- No, pipeline deliveries that bypass marine terminals are excluded from seaport freight traffic statistics.
- Why is crude oil tracked separately from refined products at ports?
- Because crude oil represents a primary industrial feedstock with different supply chain dynamics and destination profiles compared to finished fuels.