2019 total
187.1 million tonnes
First port · 2019
30.6 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
187.1 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
17.6 million tonnes
The 2019 balance
Spanish ports handled 187.1 million tonnes of liquid bulk traffic in 2019, 3.5% more than in 2018 (6.37 million 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 2019 ranking, the ports moving up on 2018 are Huelva (from 3rd to 2nd) and Tarragona (from 5th to 4th); those moving down are Cartagena (from 2nd to 3rd) and Bilbao (from 4th to 5th).
Bahía de Algeciras ranks first among port authorities with 30.6 million tonnes in 2019 (3.7% less than in 2018). It is followed by Huelva (26.7 million) and Cartagena (26 million). Together, the three account for 44.5% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Valencia (+63.4%), Las Palmas (+12.9%) and Ferrol-San Cibrao (+7.2%); the steepest falls by A Coruña (−3.9%) and Bahía de Algeciras (−3.7%). 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, 21.2 million, +6.9%), Bilbao (5th, 20.8 million, +1.6%), Barcelona (6th, 16.1 million, +5.5%), Castellón (7th, 10.6 million, +2.0%), A Coruña (8th, 8.97 million, −3.9%), Las Palmas (9th, 8.07 million, +12.9%) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (10th, 4.81 million, +6.9%).
At the bottom of the table are Vigo (46,770 tonnes), Alicante (31,579 tonnes) and Marín y Ría de Pontevedra (7 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 67% of the total and 7 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 7.1%. 19 of the 27 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2018, 7 of them by double digits, and 8 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2019 with data, 7 are above the same month of 2018 and 5 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is down 2.4% on the same months of 2018; the largest year-on-year difference was in August (up 15.2%); the highest point in the series was August, at 17.6 M, and the lowest November, at 13.9 M.
Between 2012 and 2019 the figure went from 153.4 M to 187.1 M, an increase of 22% over 7 years (+2.9% 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 · 2019
Month by month · 2019 vs 2018
Annual series, 2012–2019
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2019
| # | Port authorities | 2019 | Change on 2018 | 2018 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahía de Algeciras | 30.6 M | −3.7% | 31.8 M | 16.3% | Port |
| 2 | Huelva | 26.7 M | +6.2% | 25.1 M | 14.3% | Port |
| 3 | Cartagena | 26 M | +1.3% | 25.7 M | 13.9% | Port |
| 4 | Tarragona | 21.2 M | +6.9% | 19.8 M | 11.3% | Port |
| 5 | Bilbao | 20.8 M | +1.6% | 20.5 M | 11.1% | Port |
| 6 | Barcelona | 16.1 M | +5.5% | 15.3 M | 8.6% | Port |
| 7 | Castellón | 10.6 M | +2.0% | 10.4 M | 5.7% | Port |
| 8 | A Coruña | 8.97 M | −3.9% | 9.34 M | 4.8% | Port |
| 9 | Las Palmas | 8.07 M | +12.9% | 7.15 M | 4.3% | Port |
| 10 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 4.81 M | +6.9% | 4.5 M | 2.6% | Port |
| 11 | Valencia | 3.12 M | +63.4% | 1.91 M | 1.7% | Port |
| 12 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 2.31 M | +7.2% | 2.16 M | 1.2% | Port |
| 13 | Baleares | 1.54 M | −9.0% | 1.7 M | 0.8% | Port |
| 14 | Bahía de Cádiz | 1.33 M | +93.9% | 686,986 | 0.7% | Port |
| 15 | Motril | 1.32 M | −1.3% | 1.34 M | 0.7% | Port |
| 16 | Gijón | 894,741 | +16.3% | 769,471 | 0.5% | Port |
| 17 | Ceuta | 872,261 | +4.6% | 834,100 | 0.5% | Port |
| 18 | Avilés | 717,949 | +15.8% | 620,106 | 0.4% | Port |
| 19 | Santander | 323,613 | −4.7% | 339,510 | 0.2% | Port |
| 20 | Sevilla | 293,337 | +9.0% | 269,016 | 0.2% | Port |
| 21 | Vilagarcía | 182,544 | +8.8% | 167,809 | 0.1% | Port |
| 22 | Málaga | 83,774 | +2.9% | 81,393 | 0.0% | Port |
| 23 | Melilla | 75,935 | −0.4% | 76,234 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Almería | 56,707 | +29.4% | 43,811 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Vigo | 46,770 | −50.2% | 93,912 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Alicante | 31,579 | −48.0% | 60,762 | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 7 | +75.0% | 4 | 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 2019?
Bahía de Algeciras, with 30.6 million tonnes in 2019, 16.3% of the total.
What was the liquid bulk traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2019?
187.1 million tonnes in 2019, 3.5% more than in 2018.
Was 2019 a record year?
Yes: 187.1 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.