2020 total
167 million tonnes
First port · 2020
28.3 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
187.1 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
16.1 million tonnes
The 2020 balance
Spanish ports handled 167 million tonnes of liquid bulk traffic in 2020, 10.7% less than in 2019 (20.1 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 2019, with 187.1 million tonnes: 2020 was 10.7% below it and ranks 11th of the 14 years with data.
In the 2020 ranking, the ports moving up on 2019 are Cartagena (from 3rd to 2nd) and Las Palmas (from 9th to 8th); those moving down are Huelva (from 2nd to 3rd) and A Coruña (from 8th to 9th).
Bahía de Algeciras ranks first among port authorities with 28.3 million tonnes in 2020 (7.4% less than in 2019). It is followed by Cartagena (25.2 million) and Huelva (23.5 million). Together, the three account for 46.1% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Ferrol-San Cibrao (+27.0%); the steepest falls by Santa Cruz de Tenerife (−29.4%), A Coruña (−20.7%) and Barcelona (−20.3%). 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 Tarragona (4th, 18.3 million, −13.6%), Bilbao (5th, 18.2 million, −12.8%), Barcelona (6th, 12.9 million, −20.3%), Castellón (7th, 9.8 million, −7.5%), Las Palmas (8th, 7.82 million, −3.1%), A Coruña (9th, 7.12 million, −20.7%) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (10th, 3.4 million, −29.4%).
At the bottom of the table are Melilla (64,871 tonnes), Vigo (57,744 tonnes) and Alicante (34,480 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 67.9% 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%. 8 of the 27 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2019, 6 of them by double digits, and 19 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2020 with data, 2 are above the same month of 2019 and 10 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is down 11.1% on the same months of 2019; the largest year-on-year difference was in May (down 24%); the highest point in the series was January, at 16.1 M, and the lowest November, at 12.2 M.
Between 2012 and 2020 the figure went from 153.4 M to 167 M, an increase of 8.9% over 8 years (+1.1% a year on average). The best year was 2019 (187.1 M) and the worst 2013 (152 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 | Bahía de Algeciras | 28.3 M | −7.4% | 30.6 M | 17.0% | Port |
| 2 | Cartagena | 25.2 M | −3.3% | 26 M | 15.1% | Port |
| 3 | Huelva | 23.5 M | −12.0% | 26.7 M | 14.1% | Port |
| 4 | Tarragona | 18.3 M | −13.6% | 21.2 M | 11.0% | Port |
| 5 | Bilbao | 18.2 M | −12.8% | 20.8 M | 10.9% | Port |
| 6 | Barcelona | 12.9 M | −20.3% | 16.1 M | 7.7% | Port |
| 7 | Castellón | 9.8 M | −7.5% | 10.6 M | 5.9% | Port |
| 8 | Las Palmas | 7.82 M | −3.1% | 8.07 M | 4.7% | Port |
| 9 | A Coruña | 7.12 M | −20.7% | 8.97 M | 4.3% | Port |
| 10 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 3.4 M | −29.4% | 4.81 M | 2.0% | Port |
| 11 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 2.94 M | +27.0% | 2.31 M | 1.8% | Port |
| 12 | Valencia | 2.67 M | −14.3% | 3.12 M | 1.6% | Port |
| 13 | Motril | 1.4 M | +5.6% | 1.32 M | 0.8% | Port |
| 14 | Bahía de Cádiz | 1.27 M | −4.5% | 1.33 M | 0.8% | Port |
| 15 | Baleares | 979,245 | −36.6% | 1.54 M | 0.6% | Port |
| 16 | Ceuta | 714,554 | −18.1% | 872,261 | 0.4% | Port |
| 17 | Avilés | 675,125 | −6.0% | 717,949 | 0.4% | Port |
| 18 | Gijón | 641,005 | −28.4% | 894,741 | 0.4% | Port |
| 19 | Sevilla | 346,907 | +18.3% | 293,337 | 0.2% | Port |
| 20 | Vilagarcía | 233,459 | +27.9% | 182,544 | 0.1% | Port |
| 21 | Santander | 213,694 | −34.0% | 323,613 | 0.1% | Port |
| 22 | Málaga | 211,773 | +152.8% | 83,774 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Almería | 107,351 | +89.3% | 56,707 | 0.1% | Port |
| 24 | Melilla | 64,871 | −14.6% | 75,935 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Vigo | 57,744 | +23.5% | 46,770 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Alicante | 34,480 | +9.2% | 31,579 | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 0 | −100.0% | — | 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 2020?
Bahía de Algeciras, with 28.3 million tonnes in 2020, 17% of the total.
What was the liquid bulk traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2020?
167 million tonnes in 2020, 10.7% less than in 2019.
Was 2020 a record year?
No: the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2019, with 187.1 million tonnes; 2020 was 10.7% 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.