Year to date · January–August 2026
9.43 million TEU
August 2026 only
1.15 million TEU
First port
3.75 million TEU
Transhipment TEU
5.39 million TEU
What the data say · August 2026
The three largest container ports (Bahía de Algeciras, Valencia and Barcelona) handled 9.43 million TEU in the year to August 2026, 0.6% less than in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the figure was 1.15 million TEU, 6.4% less than in August 2025.
The three largest ports account for 75% of the Spanish port system’s container traffic in the year to August 2026, which totalled 12.6 million TEU.
Transhipment TEU: 5.39 million TEU in the year to August 2026, 2.3% less than a year earlier. Bahía de Algeciras ranks first on this measure, with 2.73 million TEU.
Valencia ranks first among port authorities with 3.75 million TEU in the year to August 2026 (1.9% less than a year earlier). It is followed by Bahía de Algeciras (3.16 million) and Barcelona (2.52 million).
Of the 8 months of 2026 with data, 4 are above the same month of 2025 and 4 below; over the last three months (June, July, August) the figure is down 4.6% on the same months of 2025; the largest year-on-year difference was in July (down 10%); the highest point in the series was May, at 1.27 M, and the lowest January, at 1.05 M.
Ranking of port authorities · year to date 2026
Month by month · 2026 vs 2025 · Algeciras, Valencia and Barcelona
Full table · 3 port authorities
What this indicator measures
Valencia and Bahía de Algeciras alternate in first place for containers in Spain and the Mediterranean, with Barcelona third. This page compares the three using the same Puertos del Estado monthly statistics, in total TEU and transhipment TEU, the item that sets Algeciras (a transhipment hub between major routes) apart from Valencia and Barcelona (ports with more import and export cargo from their hinterland).
Context
Algeciras depends on transhipment by Maersk and its APM terminal, and on TTI Algeciras (Hyundai). Valencia has Spain’s largest industrial hinterland and its northern expansion is under way. Barcelona combines transhipment with Hutchison and cargo for its metropolitan area. Tanger Med, on the other shore, handles more TEU than any of the three and targets the same transhipment traffic as Algeciras.
Frequently asked questions
Which is Spain’s first container port this year?
Valencia, with 3.75 million TEU in the year to August 2026, 39.8% of the total.
How many TEU does each of the three handle?
Valencia (3.75 million), Bahía de Algeciras (3.16 million) and Barcelona (2.52 million) in the year to August 2026.
When is this data updated?
Puertos del Estado publishes the data every month. Latest data available: August 2026.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · comparison or see the original source.