Between January and May 2025, according to statistics from Puertos del Estado, Spain’s general interest ports handled nearly 230.0 million tonnes (Mt) of goods, representing a year-on-year decline of 2.7%.
Liquid bulk cargo totaled 73.7 Mt, down 4.4% compared to the same period in 2024, mainly due to decreases in its two main categories: fuel oil (-38.0%) and crude oil (-11.3%). Solid bulk cargo also declined to 33.1 Mt (-4.6%).
General cargo reached 116.8 Mt, remaining at levels similar to the previous year. Of this total, 37.5 Mt (+2.6%) was transported as conventional cargo, and 79.3 Mt in containers, representing a year-on-year decrease of 1.7% but a 7.8% increase compared to 2023.
Regular line passenger traffic totaled 8.9 million passengers (MPax) between January and May, an increase of 4.2% compared to the same period in 2024. Including cruise passengers, 14.0 MPax passed through Spanish ports, 10.2% more than in 2024, also driven by a rebound in cruise traffic (+22.5%).
Accumulated foreign trade traffic (imports + exports) since January fell back to levels similar to two years ago, with 116.7 Mt, representing a -4.4% variation compared to 2024 and a +0.2% increase compared to 2023. Imports totaled 80.9 Mt (-3.7%), with declines in both liquid bulk (-5.0%; 42.5 Mt) and solid bulk (-5.5%; 21.3 Mt), while general cargo increased (+2.2%; 17.0 Mt). Exports fell to 35.8 Mt (-5.8%), weighed down by a significant drop in liquid bulk (-24.4% to 8.5 Mt), a more moderate decrease in solid bulk (-3.2%; 8.7 Mt), and growth in general cargo (+4.6%; 18.6 Mt).
