What is a port authority

A port authority is the public body that manages one or more of the Spanish State’s ports of general interest: it administers the land and the infrastructure, awards the concessions and collects the port dues. In Spain there are 28, coordinated by Puertos del Estado.

The 28 port authorities manage the 46 ports of general interest. Some run a single port and others several: Bahía de Algeciras also includes Tarifa, the Balearic Islands authority has five island ports and Santa Cruz de Tenerife has those of its province. They report to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility through Puertos del Estado.

They work on the landlord port model: the authority provides the space and the infrastructure, and private companies operate the terminals and provide the services to ships and cargo. Official statistics are published by port authority, and that is how the ranking of ports is ordered.