Estimated cargo · Spanish ports (7-day average)
1.04 million tonnes a day
Daily calls (7-day average)
122 calls a day
Transits through the Strait of Gibraltar (7-day average)
133 transits a day
Spanish ports tracked
38 ports
What the data say · 25 September 2026
Spanish ports handled an average of 1.04 million tonnes a day in the week ending 25 September 2026, according to IMF PortWatch’s satellite estimate, 9.6% less than in the same week of 2025. They recorded an average of 122 calls a day.
An average of 133 ships a day passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, 4.2% less than a year earlier and 0.2% less than the average of the previous 28 days.
This is an estimate with only a few days’ lag, not the official statistic: it shows the trend before Puertos del Estado publishes the month. Official figures are in PortStats.
Algeciras ranks first among ports with 238,598 tonnes a day in the week ending 25 September 2026 (21.3% more than a year earlier). It is followed by Valencia (164,751 tonnes a day) and Barcelona (130,894 tonnes a day). Together, the three account for 51.5% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Santa Cruz de Tenerife (+93.2%), Barcelona (+25.6%) and Algeciras (+21.3%); the steepest falls by A Coruña (−64.5%), El Grao (Castellón) (−61.0%) and Gijón (−58.5%). The comparison is limited to ports 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 Las Palmas (4th, 89,303 tonnes a day, −30.2%), Cartagena (5th, 82,229 tonnes a day, −9.0%), Tarragona (6th, 59,108 tonnes a day, −26.8%), Bilbao (7th, 57,945 tonnes a day, −39.8%), Huelva (8th, 34,297 tonnes a day, −12.8%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (9th, 22,749 tonnes a day, +93.2%) and A Coruña (10th, 17,184 tonnes a day, −64.5%).
At the bottom of the table are Melilla (669 tonnes a day), Puerto del Rosario (568 tonnes a day) and Santa Cruz de la Palma (407 tonnes a day), out of a total of 38 ports with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 68% of the total and 8 ports are enough to reach 80%, while the other 28 ports further down share the remaining 13.6%. 14 of the 37 ports with a comparison grew year on year, 11 of them by double digits, and 23 fell.
The highest point in the series was on 8 August 2026, at 1.12 M, and the lowest on 4 July 2026, at 914,063.
Top 10 · Spanish ports by estimated daily cargo (7-day average)
Estimated daily cargo at Spanish ports · last 90 days
Full table · 38 ports
| # | Ports | t/day (7-day avg) | YoY change | Calls/day | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Algeciras | 238,598 | +21.3% | 16 | 23.0% |
| 2 | Valencia | 164,751 | +6.7% | 11 | 15.9% |
| 3 | Barcelona | 130,894 | +25.6% | 12 | 12.6% |
| 4 | Las Palmas | 89,303 | −30.2% | 13 | 8.6% |
| 5 | Cartagena | 82,229 | −9.0% | 6 | 7.9% |
| 6 | Tarragona | 59,108 | −26.8% | 5 | 5.7% |
| 7 | Bilbao | 57,945 | −39.8% | 5 | 5.6% |
| 8 | Huelva | 34,297 | −12.8% | 5 | 3.3% |
| 9 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 22,749 | +93.2% | 5 | 2.2% |
| 10 | A Coruña | 17,184 | −64.5% | 2 | 1.7% |
| 11 | Garrucha | 16,819 | −9.6% | 1 | 1.6% |
| 12 | Gijón | 15,439 | −58.5% | 2 | 1.5% |
| 13 | Sagunto | 12,621 | −39.8% | 3 | 1.2% |
| 14 | El Grao (Castellón) | 12,309 | −61.0% | 1 | 1.2% |
| 15 | Santander | 10,439 | +3.7% | 4 | 1.0% |
| 16 | Avilés | 10,274 | +14.3% | 2 | 1.0% |
| 17 | Ferrol | 7,367 | +3,203.5% | 1 | 0.7% |
| 18 | Almería | 6,661 | +509.8% | 1 | 0.6% |
| 19 | Seville | 6,435 | +57.1% | 2 | 0.6% |
| 20 | Vigo | 6,157 | −5.1% | 5 | 0.6% |
| 21 | Málaga | 4,783 | −40.7% | 2 | 0.5% |
| 22 | Alicante | 3,917 | +124.3% | 1 | 0.4% |
| 23 | Cádiz | 3,817 | −28.2% | 2 | 0.4% |
| 24 | Carboneras | 3,768 | +397.6% | 1 | 0.4% |
| 25 | Pasaia | 3,732 | −26.9% | 2 | 0.4% |
| 26 | Ceuta | 3,577 | −42.7% | 4 | 0.3% |
| 27 | Motril | 3,577 | −42.7% | 1 | 0.3% |
| 28 | Villagarcia de Arosa | 2,459 | +176.6% | 1 | 0.2% |
| 29 | Palma de Mallorca | 2,021 | −53.7% | 1 | 0.2% |
| 30 | San Ciprian | 1,226 | −88.0% | 1 | 0.1% |
| 31 | Marín | 1,188 | −74.5% | 1 | 0.1% |
| 32 | Arrecife | 898 | +7.1% | 2 | 0.1% |
| 33 | Melilla | 669 | +85.0% | 0 | 0.1% |
| 34 | Puerto del Rosario | 568 | −42.9% | 2 | 0.1% |
| 35 | Santa Cruz de la Palma | 407 | −38.3% | 1 | 0.0% |
| 36 | Rota | 0 | — | 0 | 0.0% |
| 37 | Mahón | 0 | −100.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
| 38 | Torrevieja | 0 | −100.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
What this indicator measures
IMF PortWatch estimates every day, from ships’ AIS signals, how many calls and how many tonnes of cargo each port in the world handles. It is not the official statistic (which arrives two months later) but an estimate with only a few days’ lag that shows the trend first. The page shows seven-day averages and their year-on-year change.
Context
The Strait of Gibraltar is one of the chokepoints PortWatch monitors, alongside Suez, Malacca, Panama and the Bosphorus, and its daily traffic is a leading indicator for Algeciras and Tanger Med. When a crisis (Red Sea, Suez, strikes) diverts routes, this series shows it weeks before Puertos del Estado.
Frequently asked questions
How much cargo do Spanish ports handle each day?
1.04 million tonnes a day in the week ending 25 September 2026, 9.6% less than in the same week of the previous year.
Which Spanish port records the most daily activity?
Algeciras, with 238,598 tonnes a day in the week ending 25 September 2026, 23% of the total.
When is this data updated?
IMF PortWatch publishes the data daily. Latest data available: 25 September 2026.
Source
IMF PortWatch. To explore the data in detail, use Maritime Radar or see the original source.