Year to date · January–August 2026
3.57 million tonnes
August 2026 only
501,371 tonnes
Full year 2025
4.81 million tonnes
Share of all cargo
1%
What the data say · August 2026
Spanish ports handled 3.57 million tonnes of biofuels in the year to August 2026, 12.8% more than in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the figure was 501,371 tonnes, 42.6% more than in August 2025.
By type of cargo, 79.4% travelled as liquid bulk and 20.6% as general cargo. The item accounts for 1% of all cargo passing through Spanish ports in that period.
In 2025, the latest year with a breakdown by port, traffic in biofuels came to 4.81 million tonnes, 0.2% more than in 2024: 2.28 million tonnes unloaded and 2.53 million tonnes loaded. Foreign trade accounted for 82.5% and the rest was coastal shipping between Spanish ports. 26 of the 28 port authorities recorded movements of this commodity.
Barcelona ranks first among port authorities with 1.15 million tonnes in 2025 (1.1% less than in 2024). It is followed by Huelva (1.11 million) and Bilbao (510,760 tonnes). Together, the three account for 57.6% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Las Palmas (+30.1%), Bahía de Algeciras (+14.5%) and Valencia (+7.2%); the steepest falls by Ferrol-San Cibrao (−29.1%), Castellón (−22.1%) and Santander (−13.7%). 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 Valencia (4th, 394,595 tonnes, +7.2%), Bahía de Algeciras (5th, 335,492 tonnes, +14.5%), Cartagena (6th, 329,084 tonnes, +0.4%), Castellón (7th, 251,123 tonnes, −22.1%), A Coruña (8th, 217,979 tonnes, −6.9%), Tarragona (9th, 133,980 tonnes, +6.5%) and Almería (10th, 72,263 tonnes, −8.8%).
At the bottom of the table are Melilla (594 tonnes), Gijón (315 tonnes) and Marín y Ría de Pontevedra (314 tonnes), out of a total of 26 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 72.8% of the total and 7 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 16 port authorities further down share the remaining 6.3%. 14 of the 26 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2024, 9 of them by double digits, and 12 fell.
Of the 8 months of 2026 with data, 6 are above the same month of 2025 and 2 below; over the last three months (June, July, August) the figure is up 16.9% on the same months of 2025; the largest year-on-year difference was in August (up 42.6%); the highest point in the series was May, at 531,214, and the lowest January, at 330,976.
Between 2011 and 2025 the figure went from 3.67 M to 4.81 M, an increase of 30.9% over 14 years (+1.9% a year on average). The best year was 2019 (7.78 M) and the worst 2013 (3.09 M).
Top 10 · Biofuels by port authority · 2025
Month by month · 2026 vs 2025
Annual series · biofuels
Full table · 26 port authorities
| # | Port authorities | Total 2025 | Change on 2024 | Unloaded | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 1.15 M | −1.1% | 572,452 | 24.0% | Port |
| 2 | Huelva | 1.11 M | +5.0% | 455,614 | 23.0% | Port |
| 3 | Bilbao | 510,760 | −3.9% | 278,040 | 10.6% | Port |
| 4 | Valencia | 394,595 | +7.2% | 156,928 | 8.2% | Port |
| 5 | Bahía de Algeciras | 335,492 | +14.5% | 199,185 | 7.0% | Port |
| 6 | Cartagena | 329,084 | +0.4% | 131,173 | 6.8% | Port |
| 7 | Castellón | 251,123 | −22.1% | 145,395 | 5.2% | Port |
| 8 | A Coruña | 217,979 | −6.9% | 79,101 | 4.5% | Port |
| 9 | Tarragona | 133,980 | +6.5% | 133,532 | 2.8% | Port |
| 10 | Almería | 72,263 | −8.8% | 0 | 1.5% | Port |
| 11 | Las Palmas | 69,581 | +30.1% | 50,368 | 1.4% | Port |
| 12 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 65,825 | −29.1% | 604 | 1.4% | Port |
| 13 | Santander | 62,486 | −13.7% | 32,948 | 1.3% | Port |
| 14 | Alicante | 38,105 | +272.5% | 26,876 | 0.8% | Port |
| 15 | Málaga | 23,608 | +120.0% | 7,961 | 0.5% | Port |
| 16 | Bahía de Cádiz | 17,325 | −37.8% | 159 | 0.4% | Port |
| 17 | Motril | 12,135 | −43.6% | 5,480 | 0.3% | Port |
| 18 | Vigo | 3,619 | +126.8% | 2,667 | 0.1% | Port |
| 19 | Sevilla | 3,552 | +172.2% | 228 | 0.1% | Port |
| 20 | Baleares | 2,985 | +81.8% | 2,164 | 0.1% | Port |
| 21 | Vilagarcía | 1,179 | −46.2% | 1,025 | 0.0% | Port |
| 22 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 828 | +8.0% | 744 | 0.0% | Port |
| 23 | Ceuta | 808 | −5.7% | 808 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Melilla | 594 | +26.9% | 594 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Gijón | 315 | −30.2% | 293 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 314 | +375.8% | 157 | 0.0% | Port |
What this indicator measures
It includes biodiesel, bioethanol and other fuels made from plants or waste; they travel mainly as liquid bulk. Puertos del Estado publishes every month the tonnes of this commodity loaded, unloaded or in transit across all ports of general interest, as a cumulative figure since January, and once a year the breakdown by port authority. Figures for the current year are provisional until the yearbook is published.
Context
Blending obligations for road fuels and the production plants and storage terminals at ports such as Barcelona, Huelva and Bilbao sustain this item, which the port statistics report separately from other petroleum products.
Frequently asked questions
How many tonnes of biofuels have Spanish ports handled this year?
3.57 million tonnes in the year to August 2026, 12.8% more than in the same period of 2025.
Which Spanish port handles the most biofuels?
Barcelona, with 1.15 million tonnes in 2025, 24% of the total.
How is this commodity carried: in bulk or as general cargo?
By type of cargo, 79.4% travelled as liquid bulk and 20.6% as general cargo 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 · cargo by commodity, annual series or see the original source.