Year to date · January–August 2026
52.8 million tonnes
August 2026 only
7.77 million tonnes
First port
6.36 million tonnes
What the data say · August 2026
Spanish ports handled 52.8 million tonnes of dry bulk traffic in the year to August 2026, 0.3% more than in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the figure was 7.77 million tonnes, 24.4% more than in August 2025.
In August, 19 of the 28 port authorities with data improved on their August 2025 figure.
Gijón ranks first among port authorities with 6.36 million tonnes in the year to August 2026 (28.2% less than a year earlier). It is followed by Castellón (5.85 million) and Tarragona (5.71 million). Together, the three account for 33.9% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Bahía de Cádiz (+47.7%), Cartagena (+29.3%) and Motril (+18.2%); the steepest falls by Gijón (−28.2%), Bilbao (−13.5%) and Ferrol-San Cibrao (−9.7%). The comparison is limited to port authorities that account for at least 1% of the total, so that an extreme swing at a small player does not distort the picture.
The rest of the top ten are Cartagena (4th, 5.61 million, +29.3%), Huelva (5th, 3.85 million, +11.5%), Almería (6th, 3.0 million, +7.3%), Barcelona (7th, 2.67 million, +2.4%), Bilbao (8th, 2.54 million, −13.5%), A Coruña (9th, 2.24 million, −6.7%) and Santander (10th, 2.15 million, +6.0%).
At the bottom of the table are Bahía de Algeciras (176,699 tonnes), Melilla (19,719 tonnes) and Ceuta (4,907 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 51.8% of the total and 12 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 24.3%. 13 of the 28 port authorities with a comparison grew year on year, 8 of them by double digits, and 15 fell.
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · year to date 2026
What this indicator measures
Dry bulk is unpackaged cargo moved loose: coal, iron ore, cereals and animal feed, cement and clinker, fertilisers, scrap and salt. It is the traffic most closely linked to heavy industry, power generation and agriculture, and the one that has changed most with the closure of coal-fired power plants.
Full table · 28 port authorities
| # | Port authorities | Jan–Aug 2026 | YoY change | August | Monthly change | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gijón | 6.36 M | −28.2% | 1.17 M | +62.7% | 12.0% | Port |
| 2 | Castellón | 5.85 M | +12.0% | 759,539 | +22.3% | 11.1% | Port |
| 3 | Tarragona | 5.71 M | +11.1% | 751,987 | +6.2% | 10.8% | Port |
| 4 | Cartagena | 5.61 M | +29.3% | 944,182 | +37.9% | 10.6% | Port |
| 5 | Huelva | 3.85 M | +11.5% | 650,931 | +92.4% | 7.3% | Port |
| 6 | Almería | 3.0 M | +7.3% | 253,053 | −11.6% | 5.7% | Port |
| 7 | Barcelona | 2.67 M | +2.4% | 415,298 | −9.3% | 5.0% | Port |
| 8 | Bilbao | 2.54 M | −13.5% | 297,788 | −12.9% | 4.8% | Port |
| 9 | A Coruña | 2.24 M | −6.7% | 385,633 | +29.0% | 4.2% | Port |
| 10 | Santander | 2.15 M | +6.0% | 390,833 | +71.0% | 4.1% | Port |
| 11 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 2.07 M | −9.7% | 267,703 | −17.2% | 3.9% | Port |
| 12 | Avilés | 1.65 M | −5.0% | 193,414 | +0.3% | 3.1% | Port |
| 13 | Valencia | 1.62 M | −0.5% | 194,882 | +13.0% | 3.1% | Port |
| 14 | Bahía de Cádiz | 1.57 M | +47.7% | 253,969 | +55.6% | 3.0% | Port |
| 15 | Sevilla | 1.19 M | −7.3% | 236,174 | +33.6% | 2.3% | Port |
| 16 | Alicante | 838,869 | −2.3% | 64,139 | −42.0% | 1.6% | Port |
| 17 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 674,898 | +1.1% | 148,337 | +276.9% | 1.3% | Port |
| 18 | Málaga | 632,012 | −8.3% | 89,007 | −16.4% | 1.2% | Port |
| 19 | Motril | 609,384 | +18.2% | 36,085 | +4.7% | 1.2% | Port |
| 20 | Pasaia | 527,548 | −22.8% | 70,852 | −20.0% | 1.0% | Port |
| 21 | Las Palmas | 345,561 | +19.0% | 50,269 | +133.8% | 0.7% | Port |
| 22 | Vilagarcía | 263,973 | +5.9% | 38,147 | +13.8% | 0.5% | Port |
| 23 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 245,324 | −0.6% | 37,175 | +16.1% | 0.5% | Port |
| 24 | Baleares | 198,470 | −13.9% | 18,613 | −40.7% | 0.4% | Port |
| 25 | Vigo | 192,727 | −1.6% | 26,166 | +18.1% | 0.4% | Port |
| 26 | Bahía de Algeciras | 176,699 | −13.6% | 21,371 | +48.2% | 0.3% | Port |
| 27 | Melilla | 19,719 | +137.9% | 7,498 | +187,350.0% | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Ceuta | 4,907 | −7.4% | 0 | −100.0% | 0.0% | Port |
Context
Gijón ranks first thanks to ore and coal for the Asturian steel industry; Tarragona, Huelva, Cartagena, Ferrol and A Coruña follow with cereals, fertilisers and industrial raw materials. Cereal imports through Tarragona, Cartagena and Huelva account for much of the year-to-year variation, depending on the Spanish harvest.
Frequently asked questions
Which Spanish port handles the most dry bulk?
Gijón, with 6.36 million tonnes in the year to August 2026, 12% of the total.
How many tonnes of dry bulk have Spanish ports handled this year?
52.8 million tonnes in the year to August 2026, 0.3% more than in the same period of 2025.
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 · cargo or see the original source.