2016 total
167.6 million tonnes
First port · 2016
27.3 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
187.1 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
15.3 million tonnes
The 2016 balance
Spanish ports handled 167.6 million tonnes of liquid bulk traffic in 2016, 0.3% less than in 2015 (467,768 tonnes 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 2019, with 187.1 million tonnes: 2016 was 10.4% below it and ranks 10th of the 14 years with data.
In the 2016 ranking, the ports moving up on 2015 are Huelva (from 4th to 3rd) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (from 10th to 9th); those moving down are Tarragona (from 3rd to 4th) and Las Palmas (from 9th to 10th).
Bahía de Algeciras ranks first among port authorities with 27.3 million tonnes in 2016 (0.1% less than in 2015). It is followed by Cartagena (25 million) and Huelva (24.1 million). Together, the three account for 45.6% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Huelva (+11.7%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (+7.4%) and Ferrol-San Cibrao (+6.9%); the steepest falls by Tarragona (−9.1%), Barcelona (−5.3%) and Las Palmas (−4.2%). 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 Tarragona (4th, 20.3 million, −9.1%), Bilbao (5th, 18.1 million, −0.6%), Barcelona (6th, 11.4 million, −5.3%), Castellón (7th, 8.35 million, −3.5%), A Coruña (8th, 8.17 million, +3.2%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (9th, 6.16 million, +7.4%) and Las Palmas (10th, 6.12 million, −4.2%).
At the bottom of the table are Alicante (43,336 tonnes), Almería (28,465 tonnes) and Marín y Ría de Pontevedra (4 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 7.5%. 13 of the 27 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2015, 6 of them by double digits, and 14 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2016 with data, 7 are above the same month of 2015 and 5 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 2.9% on the same months of 2015; the largest year-on-year difference was in September (down 11.6%); the highest point in the series was March, at 15.3 M, and the lowest February, at 12.8 M.
Between 2012 and 2016 the figure went from 153.4 M to 167.6 M, an increase of 9.3% over 4 years (+2.2% a year on average). The best year was 2015 (168.1 M) and the worst 2013 (152 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · 2016
Month by month · 2016 vs 2015
Annual series, 2012–2016
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2016
| # | Port authorities | 2016 | Change on 2015 | 2015 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahía de Algeciras | 27.3 M | −0.1% | 27.3 M | 16.3% | Port |
| 2 | Cartagena | 25 M | −2.8% | 25.7 M | 14.9% | Port |
| 3 | Huelva | 24.1 M | +11.7% | 21.6 M | 14.4% | Port |
| 4 | Tarragona | 20.3 M | −9.1% | 22.3 M | 12.1% | Port |
| 5 | Bilbao | 18.1 M | −0.6% | 18.2 M | 10.8% | Port |
| 6 | Barcelona | 11.4 M | −5.3% | 12.1 M | 6.8% | Port |
| 7 | Castellón | 8.35 M | −3.5% | 8.65 M | 5.0% | Port |
| 8 | A Coruña | 8.17 M | +3.2% | 7.91 M | 4.9% | Port |
| 9 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 6.16 M | +7.4% | 5.73 M | 3.7% | Port |
| 10 | Las Palmas | 6.12 M | −4.2% | 6.39 M | 3.7% | Port |
| 11 | Valencia | 3.8 M | −0.3% | 3.81 M | 2.3% | Port |
| 12 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 2.35 M | +6.9% | 2.19 M | 1.4% | Port |
| 13 | Baleares | 1.54 M | +1.1% | 1.52 M | 0.9% | Port |
| 14 | Motril | 1.2 M | +3.0% | 1.16 M | 0.7% | Port |
| 15 | Ceuta | 876,112 | +39.8% | 626,803 | 0.5% | Port |
| 16 | Gijón | 814,897 | −10.9% | 914,521 | 0.5% | Port |
| 17 | Avilés | 625,175 | −0.9% | 630,851 | 0.4% | Port |
| 18 | Bahía de Cádiz | 404,838 | +36.7% | 296,224 | 0.2% | Port |
| 19 | Sevilla | 229,665 | −16.3% | 274,365 | 0.1% | Port |
| 20 | Vilagarcía | 184,160 | +94.1% | 94,857 | 0.1% | Port |
| 21 | Málaga | 167,833 | +58.8% | 105,717 | 0.1% | Port |
| 22 | Santander | 139,775 | −48.4% | 270,926 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Melilla | 76,587 | +9.2% | 70,147 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Vigo | 60,452 | +1.5% | 59,580 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Alicante | 43,336 | −23.7% | 56,821 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Almería | 28,465 | +24.2% | 22,926 | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 4 | −86.5% | 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 2016?
Bahía de Algeciras, with 27.3 million tonnes in 2016, 16.3% of the total.
What was the liquid bulk traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2016?
167.6 million tonnes in 2016, 0.3% less than in 2015.
Was 2016 a record year?
No: the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2019, with 187.1 million tonnes; 2016 was 10.4% 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.