2016 total
92 million tonnes
First port · 2016
16 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
102.4 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
8.72 million tonnes
The 2016 balance
Spanish ports handled 92 million tonnes of dry bulk traffic in 2016, 4.1% less than in 2015 (3.98 million less). This is the year-end balance according to Puertos del Estado’s monthly statistics, with December data for the 28 port authorities.
The high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2018, with 102.4 million tonnes: 2016 was 10.1% below it and ranks 5th of the 14 years with data.
In the 2016 ranking, the ports moving up on 2015 are Huelva (from 6th to 4th), Castellón (from 8th to 6th) and Barcelona (from 10th to 8th); those moving down are Almería (from 4th to 7th) and A Coruña (from 7th to 10th). The top three positions are unchanged.
Gijón ranks first among port authorities with 16 million tonnes in 2016 (15.2% less than in 2015). It is followed by Ferrol-San Cibrao (9.41 million) and Tarragona (9.07 million). Together, the three account for 37.5% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Alicante (+53.1%), Málaga (+27.6%) and Baleares (+27.6%); the steepest falls by Pasaia (−35.1%), Santander (−19.8%) and Almería (−18.5%). 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 Huelva (4th, 5.76 million, +12.1%), Cartagena (5th, 5.3 million, −4.5%), Castellón (6th, 5.2 million, +12.1%), Almería (7th, 4.7 million, −18.5%), Barcelona (8th, 4.43 million, +0.1%), Bilbao (9th, 4.36 million, −3.7%) and A Coruña (10th, 4.35 million, −11.5%).
At the bottom of the table are Vigo (234,910 tonnes), Ceuta (22,249 tonnes) and Melilla (5,825 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is fairly spread out: the top five account for 49.5% of the total and 12 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 25.4%. 13 of the 28 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2015, 7 of them by double digits, and 15 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2016 with data, 2 are above the same month of 2015 and 10 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is down 9.7% on the same months of 2015; the largest year-on-year difference was in October (down 17.8%); the highest point in the series was March, at 8.72 M, and the lowest April, at 6.95 M.
Between 2012 and 2016 the figure went from 88.6 M to 92 M, an increase of 3.8% over 4 years (+0.9% a year on average). The best year was 2015 (96 M) and the worst 2013 (80.3 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · 2016
Month by month · 2016 vs 2015
Annual series, 2012–2016
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2016
| # | Port authorities | 2016 | Change on 2015 | 2015 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gijón | 16 M | −15.2% | 18.9 M | 17.4% | Port |
| 2 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 9.41 M | −4.4% | 9.84 M | 10.2% | Port |
| 3 | Tarragona | 9.07 M | +8.0% | 8.39 M | 9.9% | Port |
| 4 | Huelva | 5.76 M | +12.1% | 5.14 M | 6.3% | Port |
| 5 | Cartagena | 5.3 M | −4.5% | 5.55 M | 5.8% | Port |
| 6 | Castellón | 5.2 M | +12.1% | 4.64 M | 5.7% | Port |
| 7 | Almería | 4.7 M | −18.5% | 5.76 M | 5.1% | Port |
| 8 | Barcelona | 4.43 M | +0.1% | 4.43 M | 4.8% | Port |
| 9 | Bilbao | 4.36 M | −3.7% | 4.53 M | 4.7% | Port |
| 10 | A Coruña | 4.35 M | −11.5% | 4.91 M | 4.7% | Port |
| 11 | Avilés | 2.92 M | −10.4% | 3.26 M | 3.2% | Port |
| 12 | Santander | 2.82 M | −19.8% | 3.52 M | 3.1% | Port |
| 13 | Valencia | 2.53 M | −5.7% | 2.68 M | 2.8% | Port |
| 14 | Sevilla | 2.25 M | +8.5% | 2.07 M | 2.4% | Port |
| 15 | Alicante | 1.9 M | +53.1% | 1.24 M | 2.1% | Port |
| 16 | Bahía de Algeciras | 1.78 M | −16.5% | 2.13 M | 1.9% | Port |
| 17 | Bahía de Cádiz | 1.76 M | +8.6% | 1.62 M | 1.9% | Port |
| 18 | Málaga | 1.75 M | +27.6% | 1.37 M | 1.9% | Port |
| 19 | Baleares | 1.55 M | +27.6% | 1.22 M | 1.7% | Port |
| 20 | Pasaia | 1.1 M | −35.1% | 1.69 M | 1.2% | Port |
| 21 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 1.05 M | +4.9% | 998,817 | 1.1% | Port |
| 22 | Las Palmas | 534,113 | +10.4% | 483,909 | 0.6% | Port |
| 23 | Motril | 451,149 | −0.3% | 452,358 | 0.5% | Port |
| 24 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 414,999 | +2.0% | 406,750 | 0.5% | Port |
| 25 | Vilagarcía | 320,553 | −20.5% | 403,439 | 0.3% | Port |
| 26 | Vigo | 234,910 | −18.4% | 287,939 | 0.3% | Port |
| 27 | Ceuta | 22,249 | −13.2% | 25,625 | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Melilla | 5,825 | +70.1% | 3,425 | 0.0% | Port |
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which was Spain’s first port by dry bulk traffic in 2016?
Gijón, with 16 million tonnes in 2016, 17.4% of the total.
What was the dry bulk traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2016?
92 million tonnes in 2016, 4.1% less than in 2015.
Was 2016 a record year?
No: the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2018, with 102.4 million tonnes; 2016 was 10.1% below it.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · traffic by type of cargo, annual series or see the original source.