Spanish ports handle more than 230 million tonnes of cargo through May 2026, driven by liquid bulk and container traffic

Cargo traffic at Spanish ports of general interest exceeded 230 million tonnes accumulated through May 2026, representing a slight 0.3% increase compared with the same period of the previous year. After starting the year in recession, the sector is showing signs of a moderate recovery, mainly driven by liquid bulk and container traffic.

Liquid bulk cargo reached 76.7 million tonnes (+3.9%), while solid bulk cargo totalled 32.2 million tonnes (-3.6%). Regarding general cargo, 37.2 million tonnes were handled as conventional cargo (+0.1%), while 78.6 million tonneswere transported as containerised cargo (-1.1%).

Foreign trade remains stable compared with 2025

Foreign trade activity remained in line with 2025 levels, with 116.5 million tonnes handled, of which 70% corresponded to imports and 30% to exports.

Imports reached 82 million tonnes (+1.9%), with notable growth in liquid bulk (+3.6%) and general cargo (+8.1%), while solid bulk imports declined by 6.5%.

Exports totalled 34.5 million tonnes (-3.7%), with a slight increase in solid bulk cargo (+1.1%) and significant decreases in general cargo (-7.2%) and liquid bulk cargo (-1%).

Passenger traffic shows mixed performance

During the first five months of the year, regular passenger traffic decreased by 2.8% compared with 2025, reaching 13.8 million passenger movements.

In contrast, cruise traffic increased by 0.8%, while ro-ro cargo vessel traffic declined by 1.5%.

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