2018 total
102.4 million tonnes
First port · 2018
17.2 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
102.4 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
9.54 million tonnes
The 2018 balance
Spanish ports handled 102.4 million tonnes of dry bulk traffic in 2018, 0.9% more than in 2017 (937,379 tonnes more). This is the year-end balance according to Puertos del Estado’s monthly statistics, with December data for the 28 port authorities.
It is the highest annual figure in the 2012–2025 series: no later year has exceeded it.
In the 2018 ranking, the ports moving up on 2017 are Castellón (from 5th to 4th); those moving down are Huelva (from 4th to 5th). The top three positions are unchanged.
Gijón ranks first among port authorities with 17.2 million tonnes in 2018 (10.5% less than in 2017). It is followed by Ferrol-San Cibrao (10.8 million) and Tarragona (9.99 million). Together, the three account for 37.1% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Castellón (+14.9%), Cartagena (+13.3%) and Almería (+12.8%); the steepest falls by Bahía de Algeciras (−18.3%), Alicante (−15.2%) and Baleares (−12.1%). 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 Castellón (4th, 7.43 million, +14.9%), Huelva (5th, 6.66 million, +2.7%), Cartagena (6th, 6.6 million, +13.3%), Almería (7th, 6.34 million, +12.8%), A Coruña (8th, 4.85 million, −4.0%), Bilbao (9th, 4.76 million, +4.7%) and Barcelona (10th, 4.26 million, −4.7%).
At the bottom of the table are Vigo (271,820 tonnes), Ceuta (31,893 tonnes) and Melilla (5,250 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 50.8% of the total and 11 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 23%. 17 of the 28 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2017, 7 of them by double digits, and 11 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2018 with data, 8 are above the same month of 2017 and 4 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 3.8% on the same months of 2017; the largest year-on-year difference was in September (down 22.6%); the highest point in the series was October, at 9.54 M, and the lowest February, at 7.18 M.
Between 2012 and 2018 the figure went from 88.6 M to 102.4 M, an increase of 15.6% over 6 years (+2.4% 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 · 2018
Month by month · 2018 vs 2017
Annual series, 2012–2018
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2018
| # | Port authorities | 2018 | Change on 2017 | 2017 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gijón | 17.2 M | −10.5% | 19.2 M | 16.8% | Port |
| 2 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 10.8 M | +2.9% | 10.5 M | 10.5% | Port |
| 3 | Tarragona | 9.99 M | +5.1% | 9.51 M | 9.8% | Port |
| 4 | Castellón | 7.43 M | +14.9% | 6.46 M | 7.3% | Port |
| 5 | Huelva | 6.66 M | +2.7% | 6.49 M | 6.5% | Port |
| 6 | Cartagena | 6.6 M | +13.3% | 5.82 M | 6.4% | Port |
| 7 | Almería | 6.34 M | +12.8% | 5.62 M | 6.2% | Port |
| 8 | A Coruña | 4.85 M | −4.0% | 5.06 M | 4.7% | Port |
| 9 | Bilbao | 4.76 M | +4.7% | 4.54 M | 4.6% | Port |
| 10 | Barcelona | 4.26 M | −4.7% | 4.47 M | 4.2% | Port |
| 11 | Santander | 3.31 M | −4.7% | 3.48 M | 3.2% | Port |
| 12 | Avilés | 3.17 M | +10.2% | 2.88 M | 3.1% | Port |
| 13 | Valencia | 2.54 M | +11.6% | 2.28 M | 2.5% | Port |
| 14 | Sevilla | 2.17 M | −1.4% | 2.2 M | 2.1% | Port |
| 15 | Bahía de Cádiz | 1.74 M | −0.7% | 1.75 M | 1.7% | Port |
| 16 | Bahía de Algeciras | 1.72 M | −18.3% | 2.1 M | 1.7% | Port |
| 17 | Málaga | 1.7 M | +1.6% | 1.68 M | 1.7% | Port |
| 18 | Alicante | 1.59 M | −15.2% | 1.88 M | 1.6% | Port |
| 19 | Baleares | 1.42 M | −12.1% | 1.61 M | 1.4% | Port |
| 20 | Pasaia | 1.0 M | +20.2% | 834,440 | 1.0% | Port |
| 21 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 930,206 | +1.6% | 915,812 | 0.9% | Port |
| 22 | Motril | 558,495 | +9.5% | 510,112 | 0.5% | Port |
| 23 | Las Palmas | 474,214 | −15.3% | 559,599 | 0.5% | Port |
| 24 | Vilagarcía | 448,216 | +6.4% | 421,101 | 0.4% | Port |
| 25 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 446,926 | +8.1% | 413,553 | 0.4% | Port |
| 26 | Vigo | 271,820 | +3.9% | 261,610 | 0.3% | Port |
| 27 | Ceuta | 31,893 | +82.6% | 17,469 | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Melilla | 5,250 | −28.8% | 7,372 | 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 2018?
Gijón, with 17.2 million tonnes in 2018, 16.8% of the total.
What was the dry bulk traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2018?
102.4 million tonnes in 2018, 0.9% more than in 2017.
Was 2018 a record year?
Yes: 102.4 million tonnes is the highest annual figure in the 2012–2025 series.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · traffic by type of cargo, annual series or see the original source.