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%.
