The Short-Distance Maritime Transport (TMCD) managed 124 million tons in Spain during the first half of 2026, 6.8% less than in the same period of the previous year, in a context where the reduction of traffic has been accompanied by an adjustment of the capacity offered by the ro-ro services. This is noted in the latest Statistical Observatory prepared by the Spanish Association for the Promotion of Short-Distance Maritime Transport, SPC Spain.
The decline affected both external traffic and cabotage, although with different intensity. International exchanges decreased by 4.7%, while the movement between Spanish ports recorded a drop of 13.6%. External traffic accounted for 78.2% of the TMCD during the semester, while cabotage represented 21.8%.
By types of goods, ro-ro cargo decreased by 7.5%, mainly affected by the performance of cabotage, while containerized cargo reduced its volumes by 22.8%. Liquid bulk was the exception, with a growth of 6.4% associated with external traffic, while solid bulk decreased by 4.2%.
Within the segment that competes directly with land transport, international ro-ro TMCD—excluding vehicles transported as cargo—reached 13.3 million tons between January and June, 1.2% less than in the first half of 2025. The Atlantic façade recorded a reduction of 4.8%, while the Mediterranean remained practically stable, with a decrease of 0.7%.
The evolution of demand has been reflected in the scheduling of maritime services. The annual capacity offered by the ro-ro lines considered alternatives to the road decreased by 7.3% compared to the first half of 2025. The reduction was 8.8% in the Atlantic façade and 6.5% in the Mediterranean.
The adjustment is also observed in the Motorways of the Sea. Spain had during the first semester seven lines included in this category, three fewer than a year before. In the Atlantic façade, the number of services went from three to two, while in the Mediterranean it decreased from seven to five. In terms of capacity, the Motorways of the Sea recorded a reduction of 10.2% compared to the same period in 2025.
The data by country show differences between the main markets. In the Atlantic façade, ro-ro traffic with Belgium fell by 20.7%, the corresponding to the United Kingdom decreased by 10.4%, and that of Ireland decreased by 6%. Conversely, the Netherlands showed an increase associated with the opening of a connection with Vilagarcía de Arousa.
In the Mediterranean, Morocco, the main market by volume among those analyzed in this façade, reduced its traffic by 2.3%. Italy recorded a growth of 1.3%, while Algeria increased by 6.7% on lower volumes. Tunisia closed the period with a decrease of 1.6%.
The Observatory places these results within a different evolution compared to that recorded before the pandemic. Between 2013 and 2019, alternative ro-ro TMCD to the road grew at an average annual rate of 7.8%, compared to 4.6% for road transport. Between 2021 and 2025, the trend was different: maritime transport recorded an average annual contraction of 2.3%, while road transport grew by 1.1%.
This evolution is also reflected in the modal share. In 2025, the ro-ro TMCD represented 10.7% of the international transport flows considered together with the road, compared to 11% recorded in 2024 and below the maximum of 12.1% reached in 2021.
At the same time, the reduction in capacity has raised the estimated degree of utilization of the available services. The average occupancy of the ro-ro TMCD reached 80% during the first half of 2026, compared to 68.3% recorded in 2025. The Mediterranean façade presented an occupancy of 86.2%, while the Atlantic stood at 65.8%.
SPC Spain interprets the evolution of supply and demand as a process of adaptation by shipping companies to the lower volume of available cargo and warns that the loss of services may reduce maritime alternatives for carriers. The association also demands that environmental transition policies take into account the competitiveness of maritime transport and attributes part of the recent evolution to rising costs and new regulatory requirements.
The Observatory will continue to monitor in the coming periods the joint evolution of traffic, capacity, and modal share to analyze the behavior of Short-Distance Maritime Transport in relation to road transport.
