2020 total
77.1 million tonnes
First port · 2020
13.6 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
102.4 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
7.68 million tonnes
The 2020 balance
Spanish ports handled 77.1 million tonnes of dry bulk traffic in 2020, 15.2% less than in 2019 (13.8 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: 2020 was 24.7% below it and ranks 15th of the 14 years with data. It is the lowest figure in the whole series.
In the 2020 ranking, the ports moving up on 2019 are Castellón (from 4th to 2nd), Cartagena (from 5th to 4th) and Barcelona (from 9th to 7th); those moving down are Tarragona (from 2nd to 3rd), Ferrol-San Cibrao (from 3rd to 5th) and Bilbao (from 7th to 8th).
Gijón ranks first among port authorities with 13.6 million tonnes in 2020 (6.7% less than in 2019). It is followed by Castellón (6.73 million) and Tarragona (6.48 million). Together, the three account for 34.8% of the total.
The steepest falls were recorded by Tarragona (−33.3%), A Coruña (−26.7%) and Bahía de Cádiz (−22.3%). 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 Cartagena (4th, 6.47 million, −5.4%), Ferrol-San Cibrao (5th, 6.37 million, −21.3%), Huelva (6th, 4.89 million, −15.1%), Barcelona (7th, 4.01 million, −1.4%), Bilbao (8th, 3.67 million, −21.6%), Almería (9th, 3.46 million, −21.6%) and Santander (10th, 3.03 million, −17.0%).
At the bottom of the table are Vigo (300,986 tonnes), Melilla (37,604 tonnes) and Ceuta (20,697 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 51.5% of the total and 12 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 23.8%. 2 of the 28 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2019, 1 of them by double digits, and 26 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2020 with data, 0 are above the same month of 2019 and 12 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is down 5.2% on the same months of 2019; the largest year-on-year difference was in May (down 32.4%); the highest point in the series was October, at 7.68 M, and the lowest May, at 5.02 M.
Between 2012 and 2020 the figure went from 88.6 M to 77.1 M, a decrease of 13% over 8 years (−1.7% a year on average). The best year was 2018 (102.4 M) and the worst 2020 (77.1 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · 2020
Month by month · 2020 vs 2019
Annual series, 2012–2020
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2020
| # | Port authorities | 2020 | Change on 2019 | 2019 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gijón | 13.6 M | −6.7% | 14.6 M | 17.7% | Port |
| 2 | Castellón | 6.73 M | −5.2% | 7.1 M | 8.7% | Port |
| 3 | Tarragona | 6.48 M | −33.3% | 9.72 M | 8.4% | Port |
| 4 | Cartagena | 6.47 M | −5.4% | 6.84 M | 8.4% | Port |
| 5 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 6.37 M | −21.3% | 8.1 M | 8.3% | Port |
| 6 | Huelva | 4.89 M | −15.1% | 5.76 M | 6.3% | Port |
| 7 | Barcelona | 4.01 M | −1.4% | 4.07 M | 5.2% | Port |
| 8 | Bilbao | 3.67 M | −21.6% | 4.68 M | 4.8% | Port |
| 9 | Almería | 3.46 M | −21.6% | 4.41 M | 4.5% | Port |
| 10 | Santander | 3.03 M | −17.0% | 3.65 M | 3.9% | Port |
| 11 | A Coruña | 2.55 M | −26.7% | 3.47 M | 3.3% | Port |
| 12 | Avilés | 2.52 M | −9.9% | 2.8 M | 3.3% | Port |
| 13 | Sevilla | 2.22 M | −3.3% | 2.29 M | 2.9% | Port |
| 14 | Valencia | 1.86 M | −15.1% | 2.19 M | 2.4% | Port |
| 15 | Bahía de Cádiz | 1.44 M | −22.3% | 1.86 M | 1.9% | Port |
| 16 | Málaga | 1.43 M | −2.5% | 1.46 M | 1.9% | Port |
| 17 | Alicante | 1.4 M | −3.1% | 1.44 M | 1.8% | Port |
| 18 | Pasaia | 1.01 M | −2.2% | 1.03 M | 1.3% | Port |
| 19 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 865,207 | −2.6% | 888,504 | 1.1% | Port |
| 20 | Bahía de Algeciras | 552,762 | −43.2% | 973,830 | 0.7% | Port |
| 21 | Motril | 538,875 | −12.9% | 618,405 | 0.7% | Port |
| 22 | Baleares | 524,598 | −57.1% | 1.22 M | 0.7% | Port |
| 23 | Las Palmas | 396,918 | −12.4% | 453,302 | 0.5% | Port |
| 24 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 378,025 | −10.4% | 421,960 | 0.5% | Port |
| 25 | Vilagarcía | 314,247 | −34.5% | 479,972 | 0.4% | Port |
| 26 | Vigo | 300,986 | +1.1% | 297,778 | 0.4% | Port |
| 27 | Melilla | 37,604 | +429.6% | 7,100 | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Ceuta | 20,697 | −16.0% | 24,625 | 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 2020?
Gijón, with 13.6 million tonnes in 2020, 17.7% of the total.
What was the dry bulk traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2020?
77.1 million tonnes in 2020, 15.2% less than in 2019.
Was 2020 a record year?
No: the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2018, with 102.4 million tonnes; 2020 was 24.7% 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.