2015 total
224.4 million tonnes
First port · 2015
63.1 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
278.8 million tonnes
Of which, containerised cargo
159.3 million tonnes
The 2015 balance
Spanish ports handled 224.4 million tonnes of general cargo traffic in 2015, 3% more than in 2014 (6.58 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 2025, with 278.8 million tonnes: 2015 was 19.5% below it and ranks 11th of the 14 years with data. At the end of 2015 it was the highest figure in the series, which starts in 2012; it was later exceeded in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
In the 2015 ranking, the ports moving up on 2014 are Valencia (from 2nd to 1st), Baleares (from 6th to 5th) and Sevilla (from 11th to 10th); those moving down are Bahía de Algeciras (from 1st to 2nd) and Bilbao (from 5th to 6th).
Of which, containerised cargo: 159.3 million tonnes in 2015, 2.4% more than in 2014. Bahía de Algeciras ranks first on this measure, with 55.5 million tonnes.
Valencia ranks first among port authorities with 63.1 million tonnes in 2015 (7.4% more than in 2014). It is followed by Bahía de Algeciras (62.5 million) and Barcelona (29.4 million). Together, the three account for 69.1% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Valencia (+7.4%), Vigo (+7.2%) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (+7.2%); the steepest falls by Las Palmas (−4.3%), Sevilla (−2.7%) and Bilbao (−2.1%). 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 Las Palmas (4th, 14.1 million, −4.3%), Baleares (5th, 10.6 million, +7.1%), Bilbao (6th, 9.67 million, −2.1%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (7th, 5.9 million, +7.2%), Vigo (8th, 3.68 million, +7.2%), Castellón (9th, 3.15 million, +5.1%) and Sevilla (10th, 2.31 million, −2.7%).
At the bottom of the table are Vilagarcía (526,609 tonnes), Huelva (480,024 tonnes) and Motril (341,287 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 80.1% of the total and 5 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 8.9%. 15 of the 28 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2014 and 13 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2015 with data, 10 are above the same month of 2014 and 2 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 4.8% on the same months of 2014; the largest year-on-year difference was in November (up 7.7%); the highest point in the series was March, at 19.7 M, and the lowest January, at 16.3 M.
Between 2012 and 2015 the figure went from 219.1 M to 224.4 M, an increase of 2.4% over 3 years (+0.8% a year on average); the last year is the high point of the series and the low was 2013 (213.4 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · 2015
Month by month · 2015 vs 2014
Annual series, 2012–2015
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2015
| # | Port authorities | 2015 | Change on 2014 | 2014 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valencia | 63.1 M | +7.4% | 58.7 M | 28.1% | Port |
| 2 | Bahía de Algeciras | 62.5 M | +2.1% | 61.2 M | 27.8% | Port |
| 3 | Barcelona | 29.4 M | +6.7% | 27.6 M | 13.1% | Port |
| 4 | Las Palmas | 14.1 M | −4.3% | 14.7 M | 6.3% | Port |
| 5 | Baleares | 10.6 M | +7.1% | 9.87 M | 4.7% | Port |
| 6 | Bilbao | 9.67 M | −2.1% | 9.88 M | 4.3% | Port |
| 7 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 5.9 M | +7.2% | 5.51 M | 2.6% | Port |
| 8 | Vigo | 3.68 M | +7.2% | 3.43 M | 1.6% | Port |
| 9 | Castellón | 3.15 M | +5.1% | 3.0 M | 1.4% | Port |
| 10 | Sevilla | 2.31 M | −2.7% | 2.37 M | 1.0% | Port |
| 11 | Tarragona | 2.24 M | −16.4% | 2.68 M | 1.0% | Port |
| 12 | Pasaia | 2.04 M | +5.2% | 1.94 M | 0.9% | Port |
| 13 | Santander | 1.77 M | −4.1% | 1.85 M | 0.8% | Port |
| 14 | Gijón | 1.36 M | −25.2% | 1.82 M | 0.6% | Port |
| 15 | Bahía de Cádiz | 1.33 M | −10.0% | 1.48 M | 0.6% | Port |
| 16 | Alicante | 1.29 M | +0.3% | 1.28 M | 0.6% | Port |
| 17 | Cartagena | 1.28 M | +5.4% | 1.22 M | 0.6% | Port |
| 18 | Avilés | 1.22 M | +3.1% | 1.18 M | 0.5% | Port |
| 19 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 1.12 M | +6.6% | 1.05 M | 0.5% | Port |
| 20 | Ceuta | 996,852 | +3.5% | 963,388 | 0.4% | Port |
| 21 | A Coruña | 938,311 | −10.1% | 1.04 M | 0.4% | Port |
| 22 | Melilla | 935,129 | +3.3% | 904,843 | 0.4% | Port |
| 23 | Málaga | 793,712 | −19.2% | 982,266 | 0.4% | Port |
| 24 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 725,167 | −19.0% | 895,390 | 0.3% | Port |
| 25 | Almería | 604,805 | −7.4% | 652,915 | 0.3% | Port |
| 26 | Vilagarcía | 526,609 | −1.5% | 534,386 | 0.2% | Port |
| 27 | Huelva | 480,024 | −33.3% | 719,894 | 0.2% | Port |
| 28 | Motril | 341,287 | +7.7% | 316,794 | 0.2% | Port |
What this indicator measures
General cargo is everything shipped packed or in units: containers, ro-ro, vehicles, steel products, paper, timber and project cargo. It is the highest-value cargo and the most closely tied to foreign trade in manufactured goods, which makes it the port system’s best gauge of the real economy. Puertos del Estado splits it into containerised and conventional cargo.
Frequently asked questions
Which was Spain’s first port by general cargo traffic in 2015?
Valencia, with 63.1 million tonnes in 2015, 28.1% of the total.
What was the general cargo traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2015?
224.4 million tonnes in 2015, 3% more than in 2014.
Was 2015 a record year?
At the time, yes: at the end of 2015, 224.4 million tonnes was the highest annual figure in the series, which starts in 2012. It was later exceeded in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2025, with 278.8 million tonnes.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · general cargo by type, annual series or see the original source.