France seaport freight traffic: Marseille-Fos
France seaport freight traffic: Marseille-Fos stood at 74.04 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross tonnage by port | |||||||||||
| Marseille-Fos | 74.04 | 70.55 | 71.89 | 77.86 | 75.12 | 68.91 | 78.89 | 80.45 | 80.36 | 80.63 | |
| Dunkirk | 48 | 45.9 | 43.84 | 49.02 | 48.36 | 45.12 | 52.66 | 51.59 | 50.2 | 46.71 |
Understanding france seaport freight traffic: Marseille-Fos
This series tallies the total mass of waterborne goods passing across the quays of the primary southern maritime gateway, encompassing both the historic urban docks and the expansive outer industrial-port complex. It isolates the operational output of this specific southern hub from other coastal and river terminals, offering a focused measure of the nation's principal Mediterranean trade conduit. The compilation includes liquid bulk petroleum, solid mineral fuels, chemicals, and container units loaded or discharged by vessels calling at the vast harbor installations.
Interpreting these volumes requires awareness of the industrial refining and manufacturing clusters situated adjacent to the docks, which drive substantial recurring imports of raw materials. Analysts should prioritize annual percentage changes to filter out temporary supply chain bottlenecks or localized strikes that temporarily suppress activity. When comparing this facility with northern counterparts, users must note the heavy concentration of energy products in its traffic mix, which distinguishes its weight profile from consumer-goods-heavy terminals.
Frequently asked questions
- What distinguishes the Marseille site from the Fos installation in this metric?
- Marseille handles more diverse general cargo and passenger links, whereas the Fos annex accommodates large-scale industrial bulk and container terminals.
- Does this series include hydrocarbon pipeline flows originating from the docks?
- The figures track physical vessel loading and unloading at the quays rather than subsequent overland pipeline transmission volumes.
- How do local industrial cycles affect this port's annual tonnage?
- Maintenance shutdowns at nearby refineries or chemical plants directly reduce the inbound crude oil and raw material volumes recorded here.