2017 total
101.4 million tonnes
First port · 2017
19.2 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
102.4 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
10.2 million tonnes
The 2017 balance
Spanish ports handled 101.4 million tonnes of dry bulk traffic in 2017, 10.3% more than in 2016 (9.44 million more). 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: 2017 was 0.9% below it and ranks 3rd of the 14 years with data. At the end of 2017 it was the highest figure in the series, which starts in 2012; it was later exceeded in 2018.
In the 2017 ranking, the ports moving up on 2016 are Castellón (from 6th to 5th) and A Coruña (from 10th to 8th); those moving down are Cartagena (from 5th to 6th) and Barcelona (from 8th to 10th). The top three positions are unchanged.
Gijón ranks first among port authorities with 19.2 million tonnes in 2017 (20% more than in 2016). It is followed by Ferrol-San Cibrao (10.5 million) and Tarragona (9.51 million). Together, the three account for 38.6% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Castellón (+24.3%), Santander (+23.1%) and Gijón (+20.0%); the steepest falls by Valencia (−10.0%), Málaga (−4.2%) and Sevilla (−2.2%). 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, 6.49 million, +12.6%), Castellón (5th, 6.46 million, +24.3%), Cartagena (6th, 5.82 million, +9.7%), Almería (7th, 5.62 million, +19.7%), A Coruña (8th, 5.06 million, +16.4%), Bilbao (9th, 4.54 million, +4.2%) and Barcelona (10th, 4.47 million, +0.8%).
At the bottom of the table are Vigo (261,610 tonnes), Ceuta (17,469 tonnes) and Melilla (7,372 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 51.4% of the total and 12 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 23.5%. 18 of the 28 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2016, 12 of them by double digits, and 10 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2017 with data, 10 are above the same month of 2016 and 2 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 12.6% on the same months of 2016; the largest year-on-year difference was in September (up 28.8%); the highest point in the series was September, at 10.2 M, and the lowest February, at 6.93 M.
Between 2012 and 2017 the figure went from 88.6 M to 101.4 M, an increase of 14.5% over 5 years (+2.7% a year on average); the last year is the high point of the series and the low was 2013 (80.3 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · 2017
Month by month · 2017 vs 2016
Annual series, 2012–2017
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2017
| # | Port authorities | 2017 | Change on 2016 | 2016 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gijón | 19.2 M | +20.0% | 16 M | 18.9% | Port |
| 2 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 10.5 M | +11.2% | 9.41 M | 10.3% | Port |
| 3 | Tarragona | 9.51 M | +4.9% | 9.07 M | 9.4% | Port |
| 4 | Huelva | 6.49 M | +12.6% | 5.76 M | 6.4% | Port |
| 5 | Castellón | 6.46 M | +24.3% | 5.2 M | 6.4% | Port |
| 6 | Cartagena | 5.82 M | +9.7% | 5.3 M | 5.7% | Port |
| 7 | Almería | 5.62 M | +19.7% | 4.7 M | 5.5% | Port |
| 8 | A Coruña | 5.06 M | +16.4% | 4.35 M | 5.0% | Port |
| 9 | Bilbao | 4.54 M | +4.2% | 4.36 M | 4.5% | Port |
| 10 | Barcelona | 4.47 M | +0.8% | 4.43 M | 4.4% | Port |
| 11 | Santander | 3.48 M | +23.1% | 2.82 M | 3.4% | Port |
| 12 | Avilés | 2.88 M | −1.4% | 2.92 M | 2.8% | Port |
| 13 | Valencia | 2.28 M | −10.0% | 2.53 M | 2.2% | Port |
| 14 | Sevilla | 2.2 M | −2.2% | 2.25 M | 2.2% | Port |
| 15 | Bahía de Algeciras | 2.1 M | +18.2% | 1.78 M | 2.1% | Port |
| 16 | Alicante | 1.88 M | −1.4% | 1.9 M | 1.9% | Port |
| 17 | Bahía de Cádiz | 1.75 M | −0.9% | 1.76 M | 1.7% | Port |
| 18 | Málaga | 1.68 M | −4.2% | 1.75 M | 1.7% | Port |
| 19 | Baleares | 1.61 M | +3.9% | 1.55 M | 1.6% | Port |
| 20 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 915,812 | −12.6% | 1.05 M | 0.9% | Port |
| 21 | Pasaia | 834,440 | −24.1% | 1.1 M | 0.8% | Port |
| 22 | Las Palmas | 559,599 | +4.8% | 534,113 | 0.6% | Port |
| 23 | Motril | 510,112 | +13.1% | 451,149 | 0.5% | Port |
| 24 | Vilagarcía | 421,101 | +31.4% | 320,553 | 0.4% | Port |
| 25 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 413,553 | −0.3% | 414,999 | 0.4% | Port |
| 26 | Vigo | 261,610 | +11.4% | 234,910 | 0.3% | Port |
| 27 | Ceuta | 17,469 | −21.5% | 22,249 | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Melilla | 7,372 | +26.6% | 5,825 | 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 2017?
Gijón, with 19.2 million tonnes in 2017, 18.9% of the total.
What was the dry bulk traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2017?
101.4 million tonnes in 2017, 10.3% more than in 2016.
Was 2017 a record year?
At the time, yes: at the end of 2017, 101.4 million tonnes was the highest annual figure in the series, which starts in 2012. It was later exceeded in 2018; the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2018, with 102.4 million tonnes.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · traffic by type of cargo, annual series or see the original source.