2022 total
181.7 million tonnes
First port · 2022
28 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
187.1 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
16.9 million tonnes
The 2022 balance
Spanish ports handled 181.7 million tonnes of liquid bulk traffic in 2022, 6.3% more than in 2021 (10.8 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: 2022 was 2.9% below it and ranks 2nd of the 14 years with data.
In the 2022 ranking, the ports moving up on 2021 are Cartagena (from 3rd to 1st), Bilbao (from 5th to 4th) and A Coruña (from 9th to 8th); those moving down are Bahía de Algeciras (from 1st to 2nd), Huelva (from 2nd to 3rd) and Tarragona (from 4th to 5th).
Cartagena ranks first among port authorities with 28 million tonnes in 2022 (16.5% more than in 2021). It is followed by Bahía de Algeciras (27.3 million) and Huelva (24.9 million). Together, the three account for 44.1% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Valencia (+50.5%), Barcelona (+25.6%) and Ferrol-San Cibrao (+24.9%); the steepest falls by Tarragona (−16.4%), Las Palmas (−5.4%) and Bahía de Algeciras (−3.0%). 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 Bilbao (4th, 20.5 million, +15.1%), Tarragona (5th, 17.7 million, −16.4%), Barcelona (6th, 15.5 million, +25.6%), Castellón (7th, 10.3 million, +3.5%), A Coruña (8th, 8.53 million, +6.6%), Las Palmas (9th, 7.81 million, −5.4%) and Valencia (10th, 5.82 million, +50.5%).
At the bottom of the table are Vigo (31,974 tonnes), Alicante (30,422 tonnes) and Marín y Ría de Pontevedra (2 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 65.1% of the total and 8 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 8.5%. 17 of the 26 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2021, 12 of them by double digits, and 9 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2022 with data, 8 are above the same month of 2021 and 4 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 3.7% on the same months of 2021; the largest year-on-year difference was in April (up 17.3%); the highest point in the series was December, at 16.9 M, and the lowest September, at 13.3 M.
Between 2012 and 2022 the figure went from 153.4 M to 181.7 M, an increase of 18.5% over 10 years (+1.7% a year on average). The best year was 2019 (187.1 M) and the worst 2013 (152 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · 2022
Month by month · 2022 vs 2021
Annual series, 2012–2022
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2022
| # | Port authorities | 2022 | Change on 2021 | 2021 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cartagena | 28 M | +16.5% | 24 M | 15.4% | Port |
| 2 | Bahía de Algeciras | 27.3 M | −3.0% | 28.1 M | 15.0% | Port |
| 3 | Huelva | 24.9 M | +2.9% | 24.2 M | 13.7% | Port |
| 4 | Bilbao | 20.5 M | +15.1% | 17.8 M | 11.3% | Port |
| 5 | Tarragona | 17.7 M | −16.4% | 21.1 M | 9.7% | Port |
| 6 | Barcelona | 15.5 M | +25.6% | 12.3 M | 8.5% | Port |
| 7 | Castellón | 10.3 M | +3.5% | 9.91 M | 5.6% | Port |
| 8 | A Coruña | 8.53 M | +6.6% | 8.0 M | 4.7% | Port |
| 9 | Las Palmas | 7.81 M | −5.4% | 8.26 M | 4.3% | Port |
| 10 | Valencia | 5.82 M | +50.5% | 3.87 M | 3.2% | Port |
| 11 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 3.96 M | +24.9% | 3.17 M | 2.2% | Port |
| 12 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 3.69 M | +21.6% | 3.04 M | 2.0% | Port |
| 13 | Baleares | 1.55 M | +38.9% | 1.11 M | 0.9% | Port |
| 14 | Bahía de Cádiz | 1.47 M | +36.2% | 1.08 M | 0.8% | Port |
| 15 | Motril | 1.33 M | −16.6% | 1.6 M | 0.7% | Port |
| 16 | Gijón | 843,784 | +11.6% | 756,362 | 0.5% | Port |
| 17 | Ceuta | 681,899 | +42.3% | 479,227 | 0.4% | Port |
| 18 | Avilés | 651,472 | +8.2% | 601,941 | 0.4% | Port |
| 19 | Sevilla | 420,742 | +16.8% | 360,075 | 0.2% | Port |
| 20 | Vilagarcía | 299,566 | +9.5% | 273,548 | 0.2% | Port |
| 21 | Santander | 242,312 | +16.5% | 208,051 | 0.1% | Port |
| 22 | Málaga | 112,638 | −52.5% | 237,269 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Almería | 104,484 | −25.7% | 140,628 | 0.1% | Port |
| 24 | Melilla | 64,169 | −1.2% | 64,962 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Vigo | 31,974 | −38.4% | 51,911 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Alicante | 30,422 | −28.0% | 42,237 | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 2 | — | — | 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 2022?
Cartagena, with 28 million tonnes in 2022, 15.4% of the total.
What was the liquid bulk traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2022?
181.7 million tonnes in 2022, 6.3% more than in 2021.
Was 2022 a record year?
No: the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2019, with 187.1 million tonnes; 2022 was 2.9% 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.