Year to date · January–August 2026
50.6 million tonnes
August 2026 only
5.76 million tonnes
First port
10.6 million tonnes
In transport units (lorries, trailers and platforms)
2.16 million transport units (lorries, trailers and platforms)
What the data say · August 2026
Spanish ports handled 50.6 million tonnes of ro-ro traffic in the year to August 2026, 0.2% more than in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the figure was 5.76 million tonnes, 5.8% more than in August 2025.
In August, 16 of the 22 port authorities with data improved on their August 2025 figure.
In transport units (lorries, trailers and platforms): 2.16 million transport units (lorries, trailers and platforms) in the year to August 2026, 0.6% less than a year earlier. Baleares ranks first on this measure, with 498,680 transport units (lorries, trailers and platforms).
Baleares ranks first among port authorities with 10.6 million tonnes in the year to August 2026 (0.3% less than a year earlier). It is followed by Valencia (9.3 million) and Bahía de Algeciras (8.62 million). Together, the three account for 56.3% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Almería (+13.0%), Las Palmas (+4.5%) and Bahía de Cádiz (+4.2%); the steepest falls by Bilbao (−16.9%), Vigo (−4.6%) and Santander (−4.4%). 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 Barcelona (4th, 8.18 million, +2.3%), Las Palmas (5th, 4.01 million, +4.5%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (6th, 3.13 million, +0.5%), Santander (7th, 1.35 million, −4.4%), Vigo (8th, 855,658 tonnes, −4.6%), Almería (9th, 777,112 tonnes, +13.0%) and Bilbao (10th, 709,806 tonnes, −16.9%).
At the bottom of the table are Ferrol-San Cibrao (9,856 tonnes), Castellón (382 tonnes) and A Coruña (109 tonnes), out of a total of 24 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 80.4% of the total and 5 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 14 port authorities further down share the remaining 6.1%. 14 of the 23 port authorities with a comparison grew year on year, 4 of them by double digits, and 9 fell.
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · year to date 2026
What this indicator measures
Ro-ro (roll-on/roll-off) traffic is cargo that is driven on and off the ship: lorries, trailers, platforms and new vehicles. Puertos del Estado measures it in tonnes and in ITUs (intermodal transport units: each lorry, trailer or platform counts as one). It is the traffic of the Motorways of the Sea and of the lines to the Balearic and Canary Islands and North Africa.
Full table · 28 port authorities
| # | Port authorities | Jan–Aug 2026 | YoY change | August | Monthly change | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baleares | 10.6 M | −0.3% | 1.32 M | +3.2% | 20.9% | Port |
| 2 | Valencia | 9.3 M | −0.7% | 1.19 M | +17.7% | 18.4% | Port |
| 3 | Bahía de Algeciras | 8.62 M | +1.4% | 720,939 | +0.2% | 17.0% | Port |
| 4 | Barcelona | 8.18 M | +2.3% | 891,034 | +5.9% | 16.2% | Port |
| 5 | Las Palmas | 4.01 M | +4.5% | 517,689 | +0.3% | 7.9% | Port |
| 6 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 3.13 M | +0.5% | 394,170 | +5.8% | 6.2% | Port |
| 7 | Santander | 1.35 M | −4.4% | 130,167 | −9.3% | 2.7% | Port |
| 8 | Vigo | 855,658 | −4.6% | 75,815 | +12.5% | 1.7% | Port |
| 9 | Almería | 777,112 | +13.0% | 65,340 | +7.2% | 1.5% | Port |
| 10 | Bilbao | 709,806 | −16.9% | 95,146 | −6.0% | 1.4% | Port |
| 11 | Bahía de Cádiz | 633,982 | +4.2% | 83,057 | +0.8% | 1.3% | Port |
| 12 | Ceuta | 402,284 | +3.3% | 60,361 | +26.8% | 0.8% | Port |
| 13 | Huelva | 375,211 | −10.4% | 38,857 | −12.6% | 0.7% | Port |
| 14 | Pasaia | 348,369 | +1.4% | 22,984 | +13.2% | 0.7% | Port |
| 15 | Melilla | 307,131 | +0.9% | 39,502 | +14.1% | 0.6% | Port |
| 16 | Málaga | 295,055 | +2.0% | 33,163 | +1.6% | 0.6% | Port |
| 17 | Tarragona | 244,667 | +5.4% | 23,538 | −2.6% | 0.5% | Port |
| 18 | Vilagarcía | 240,053 | +244.7% | 20,047 | +68.1% | 0.5% | Port |
| 19 | Sevilla | 91,710 | −16.7% | 13,645 | −9.7% | 0.2% | Port |
| 20 | Alicante | 74,282 | +35.1% | 13,310 | +101.7% | 0.1% | Port |
| 21 | Motril | 44,286 | −88.2% | 8,574 | +15.7% | 0.1% | Port |
| 22 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 9,856 | −16.8% | 676 | −43.3% | 0.0% | Port |
| 23 | Castellón | 382 | +65.4% | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | A Coruña | 109 | — | 0 | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Avilés | — | — | — | — | — | Port |
| 26 | Cartagena | — | — | — | — | — | Port |
| 27 | Gijón | — | — | — | — | — | Port |
| 28 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | — | — | — | — | — | Port |
Context
Bahía de Algeciras is the first ro-ro port thanks to lorry traffic with Morocco across the Strait; Valencia, Barcelona and the Balearic Islands follow with their island and Italian lines, while Santander and Vigo stand out for new-vehicle ro-ro. Ro-ro has been the fastest-growing traffic of the last decade, driven by the shift from road to sea on routes to Italy and Morocco.
Frequently asked questions
Which is Spain’s first ro-ro port?
Baleares, with 10.6 million tonnes in the year to August 2026, 20.9% of the total.
How much ro-ro traffic have Spanish ports handled this year?
50.6 million tonnes in the year to August 2026, 0.2% 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.