2021 total
170.9 million tonnes
First port · 2021
28.1 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
187.1 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
16.5 million tonnes
The 2021 balance
Spanish ports handled 170.9 million tonnes of liquid bulk traffic in 2021, 2.3% more than in 2020 (3.87 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: 2021 was 8.7% below it and ranks 8th of the 14 years with data.
In the 2021 ranking, the ports moving up on 2020 are Huelva (from 3rd to 2nd) and Valencia (from 12th to 10th); those moving down are Cartagena (from 2nd to 3rd).
Bahía de Algeciras ranks first among port authorities with 28.1 million tonnes in 2021 (0.7% less than in 2020). It is followed by Huelva (24.2 million) and Cartagena (24 million). Together, the three account for 44.7% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Valencia (+44.7%), Tarragona (+15.4%) and A Coruña (+12.4%); the steepest falls by Santa Cruz de Tenerife (−10.7%), Cartagena (−4.4%) and Barcelona (−4.0%). 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, 21.1 million, +15.4%), Bilbao (5th, 17.8 million, −2.2%), Barcelona (6th, 12.3 million, −4.0%), Castellón (7th, 9.91 million, +1.1%), Las Palmas (8th, 8.26 million, +5.6%), A Coruña (9th, 8.0 million, +12.4%) and Valencia (10th, 3.87 million, +44.7%).
At the bottom of the table are Melilla (64,962 tonnes), Vigo (51,911 tonnes) and Alicante (42,237 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 67.5% of the total and 7 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 7.7%. 16 of the 26 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2020, 10 of them by double digits, and 10 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2021 with data, 8 are above the same month of 2020 and 4 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 11.9% on the same months of 2020; the largest year-on-year difference was in January (down 18.3%); the highest point in the series was August, at 16.5 M, and the lowest February, at 12.2 M.
Between 2012 and 2021 the figure went from 153.4 M to 170.9 M, an increase of 11.4% over 9 years (+1.2% a year on average). The best year was 2019 (187.1 M) and the worst 2013 (152 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · 2021
Month by month · 2021 vs 2020
Annual series, 2012–2021
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2021
| # | Port authorities | 2021 | Change on 2020 | 2020 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahía de Algeciras | 28.1 M | −0.7% | 28.3 M | 16.5% | Port |
| 2 | Huelva | 24.2 M | +3.0% | 23.5 M | 14.2% | Port |
| 3 | Cartagena | 24 M | −4.4% | 25.2 M | 14.1% | Port |
| 4 | Tarragona | 21.1 M | +15.4% | 18.3 M | 12.4% | Port |
| 5 | Bilbao | 17.8 M | −2.2% | 18.2 M | 10.4% | Port |
| 6 | Barcelona | 12.3 M | −4.0% | 12.9 M | 7.2% | Port |
| 7 | Castellón | 9.91 M | +1.1% | 9.8 M | 5.8% | Port |
| 8 | Las Palmas | 8.26 M | +5.6% | 7.82 M | 4.8% | Port |
| 9 | A Coruña | 8.0 M | +12.4% | 7.12 M | 4.7% | Port |
| 10 | Valencia | 3.87 M | +44.7% | 2.67 M | 2.3% | Port |
| 11 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 3.17 M | +8.0% | 2.94 M | 1.9% | Port |
| 12 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 3.04 M | −10.7% | 3.4 M | 1.8% | Port |
| 13 | Motril | 1.6 M | +14.3% | 1.4 M | 0.9% | Port |
| 14 | Baleares | 1.11 M | +13.8% | 979,245 | 0.7% | Port |
| 15 | Bahía de Cádiz | 1.08 M | −15.0% | 1.27 M | 0.6% | Port |
| 16 | Gijón | 756,362 | +18.0% | 641,005 | 0.4% | Port |
| 17 | Avilés | 601,941 | −10.8% | 675,125 | 0.4% | Port |
| 18 | Ceuta | 479,227 | −32.9% | 714,554 | 0.3% | Port |
| 19 | Sevilla | 360,075 | +3.8% | 346,907 | 0.2% | Port |
| 20 | Vilagarcía | 273,548 | +17.2% | 233,459 | 0.2% | Port |
| 21 | Málaga | 237,269 | +12.0% | 211,773 | 0.1% | Port |
| 22 | Santander | 208,051 | −2.6% | 213,694 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Almería | 140,628 | +31.0% | 107,351 | 0.1% | Port |
| 24 | Melilla | 64,962 | +0.1% | 64,871 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Vigo | 51,911 | −10.1% | 57,744 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Alicante | 42,237 | +22.5% | 34,480 | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 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 2021?
Bahía de Algeciras, with 28.1 million tonnes in 2021, 16.5% of the total.
What was the liquid bulk traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2021?
170.9 million tonnes in 2021, 2.3% more than in 2020.
Was 2021 a record year?
No: the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2019, with 187.1 million tonnes; 2021 was 8.7% 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.