Definition
Bunkering is the supply of fuel to ships for their own propulsion. It is done at the quay, from lorries or pipelines, or at anchor and at berth by barges that come alongside the ship.
The name comes from the bunkers, the ship’s fuel tanks. Today the usual products are low-sulphur fuel oil and marine gas oil, while liquefied natural gas and biofuels are growing as European and international rules require emissions to be cut.
In the Puertos del Estado statistics it appears as fuel supplies and is measured in tonnes delivered. It is an activity tied to geographical position: a port on a very busy route sells fuel to ships that do not even load or unload there.
The figure · August 2026
Year to date · January–August 2026
6.58 million tonnes
August 2026 only
879,872 tonnes
First port
2.06 million tonnes
Total supplies (fuel, water, provisions and stores)
7.97 million tonnes
Bunkering in Spanish ports in 2026
Spanish ports handled 6.58 million tonnes of fuel supplies in the year to August 2026, 6.1% more than in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the figure was 879,872 tonnes, 10.2% more than in August 2025.
The full ranking, the trend and the table are in the indicator Bunkering in Spanish ports. To explore the data in detail, see PortStats · supplies and bunkering, annual series.