2015 total
168.1 million tonnes
First port · 2015
27.3 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
187.1 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
14.9 million tonnes
The 2015 balance
Spanish ports handled 168.1 million tonnes of liquid bulk traffic in 2015, 4.6% more than in 2014 (7.34 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 2019, with 187.1 million tonnes: 2015 was 10.2% below it and ranks 9th 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 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
In the 2015 ranking, the ports moving up on 2014 are Bahía de Algeciras (from 2nd to 1st), Tarragona (from 4th to 3rd) and Las Palmas (from 11th to 9th); those moving down are Cartagena (from 1st to 2nd), Huelva (from 3rd to 4th) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (from 9th to 10th).
Bahía de Algeciras ranks first among port authorities with 27.3 million tonnes in 2015 (8.6% more than in 2014). It is followed by Cartagena (25.7 million) and Tarragona (22.3 million). Together, the three account for 44.9% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Las Palmas (+31.8%), A Coruña (+26.5%) and Tarragona (+15.1%); the steepest falls by Valencia (−26.9%), Ferrol-San Cibrao (−17.5%) and Barcelona (−6.9%). 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, 21.6 million, −1.2%), Bilbao (5th, 18.2 million, +11.3%), Barcelona (6th, 12.1 million, −6.9%), Castellón (7th, 8.65 million, +3.1%), A Coruña (8th, 7.91 million, +26.5%), Las Palmas (9th, 6.39 million, +31.8%) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (10th, 5.73 million, −0.1%).
At the bottom of the table are Alicante (56,821 tonnes), Almería (22,926 tonnes) and Marín y Ría de Pontevedra (26 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 68.5% of the total and 7 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 7.2%. 14 of the 26 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2014, 7 of them by double digits, and 12 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2015 with data, 9 are above the same month of 2014 and 3 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 0.8% on the same months of 2014; the largest year-on-year difference was in March (up 11.7%); the highest point in the series was May, at 14.9 M, and the lowest February, at 12.8 M.
Between 2012 and 2015 the figure went from 153.4 M to 168.1 M, an increase of 9.6% over 3 years (+3.1% a year on average); the last year is the high point of the series and the low was 2013 (152 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 | Bahía de Algeciras | 27.3 M | +8.6% | 25.2 M | 16.3% | Port |
| 2 | Cartagena | 25.7 M | −0.7% | 25.9 M | 15.3% | Port |
| 3 | Tarragona | 22.3 M | +15.1% | 19.4 M | 13.3% | Port |
| 4 | Huelva | 21.6 M | −1.2% | 21.9 M | 12.9% | Port |
| 5 | Bilbao | 18.2 M | +11.3% | 16.3 M | 10.8% | Port |
| 6 | Barcelona | 12.1 M | −6.9% | 12.9 M | 7.2% | Port |
| 7 | Castellón | 8.65 M | +3.1% | 8.4 M | 5.1% | Port |
| 8 | A Coruña | 7.91 M | +26.5% | 6.26 M | 4.7% | Port |
| 9 | Las Palmas | 6.39 M | +31.8% | 4.85 M | 3.8% | Port |
| 10 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 5.73 M | −0.1% | 5.74 M | 3.4% | Port |
| 11 | Valencia | 3.81 M | −26.9% | 5.22 M | 2.3% | Port |
| 12 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 2.19 M | −17.5% | 2.66 M | 1.3% | Port |
| 13 | Baleares | 1.52 M | +5.3% | 1.45 M | 0.9% | Port |
| 14 | Motril | 1.16 M | +1.0% | 1.15 M | 0.7% | Port |
| 15 | Gijón | 914,521 | +6.2% | 860,913 | 0.5% | Port |
| 16 | Avilés | 630,851 | +3.3% | 610,734 | 0.4% | Port |
| 17 | Ceuta | 626,803 | −18.2% | 766,708 | 0.4% | Port |
| 18 | Bahía de Cádiz | 296,224 | +88.1% | 157,509 | 0.2% | Port |
| 19 | Sevilla | 274,365 | +6.4% | 257,958 | 0.2% | Port |
| 20 | Santander | 270,926 | +15.6% | 234,386 | 0.2% | Port |
| 21 | Málaga | 105,717 | −23.6% | 138,362 | 0.1% | Port |
| 22 | Vilagarcía | 94,857 | −24.6% | 125,845 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Melilla | 70,147 | −2.0% | 71,614 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Vigo | 59,580 | −7.8% | 64,598 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Alicante | 56,821 | −4.3% | 59,353 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Almería | 22,926 | +84.1% | 12,451 | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 26 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Pasaia | 0 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
What this indicator measures
Liquid bulk is cargo loaded by pipeline: crude oil, refined products, liquefied natural gas, chemicals, biofuels and oils. It is the largest cargo group in the port system by weight and the one most closely tied to refineries, regasification plants and chemical terminals. Its changes reflect maintenance shutdowns and energy prices more than the economic cycle.
Frequently asked questions
Which was Spain’s first port by liquid bulk traffic in 2015?
Bahía de Algeciras, with 27.3 million tonnes in 2015, 16.3% of the total.
What was the liquid bulk traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2015?
168.1 million tonnes in 2015, 4.6% more than in 2014.
Was 2015 a record year?
At the time, yes: at the end of 2015, 168.1 million tonnes was the highest annual figure in the series, which starts in 2012. It was later exceeded in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2019, with 187.1 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.