2025 total
180.4 million tonnes
First port · 2025
28.5 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
187.1 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
16.7 million tonnes
The 2025 balance
Spanish ports handled 180.4 million tonnes of liquid bulk traffic in 2025, 0.8% more than in 2024 (1.51 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: 2025 was 3.6% below it and ranks 4th of the 14 years with data.
In the 2025 ranking, the ports moving up on 2024 are Las Palmas (from 8th to 7th) and Valencia (from 11th to 10th); those moving down are A Coruña (from 7th to 8th). The top three positions are unchanged.
Bahía de Algeciras ranks first among port authorities with 28.5 million tonnes in 2025 (0.2% more than in 2024). It is followed by Cartagena (26 million) and Huelva (22.6 million). Together, the three account for 42.7% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Las Palmas (+23.9%), Barcelona (+21.5%) and Ferrol-San Cibrao (+21.0%); the steepest falls by Santa Cruz de Tenerife (−19.8%), Bilbao (−9.5%) and Tarragona (−9.3%). 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 Bilbao (4th, 19.5 million, −9.5%), Tarragona (5th, 18.8 million, −9.3%), Barcelona (6th, 16.6 million, +21.5%), Las Palmas (7th, 10.9 million, +23.9%), A Coruña (8th, 9.47 million, −3.9%), Castellón (9th, 9.17 million, +7.9%) and Valencia (10th, 3.95 million, +14.8%).
At the bottom of the table are Melilla (64,964 tonnes), Alicante (53,418 tonnes) and Vigo (29,356 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 64% of the total and 8 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 8.3%. 14 of the 26 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2024, 9 of them by double digits, and 12 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2025 with data, 6 are above the same month of 2024 and 6 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 10.1% on the same months of 2024; the largest year-on-year difference was in October (up 20%); the highest point in the series was October, at 16.7 M, and the lowest June, at 13.3 M.
Between 2012 and 2025 the figure went from 153.4 M to 180.4 M, an increase of 17.6% over 13 years (+1.3% a year on average). The best year was 2019 (187.1 M) and the worst 2013 (152 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · 2025
Month by month · 2025 vs 2024
Annual series, 2012–2025
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2025
| # | Port authorities | 2025 | Change on 2024 | 2024 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahía de Algeciras | 28.5 M | +0.2% | 28.5 M | 15.8% | Port |
| 2 | Cartagena | 26 M | +0.3% | 25.9 M | 14.4% | Port |
| 3 | Huelva | 22.6 M | −5.2% | 23.8 M | 12.5% | Port |
| 4 | Bilbao | 19.5 M | −9.5% | 21.6 M | 10.8% | Port |
| 5 | Tarragona | 18.8 M | −9.3% | 20.8 M | 10.4% | Port |
| 6 | Barcelona | 16.6 M | +21.5% | 13.7 M | 9.2% | Port |
| 7 | Las Palmas | 10.9 M | +23.9% | 8.78 M | 6.0% | Port |
| 8 | A Coruña | 9.47 M | −3.9% | 9.85 M | 5.2% | Port |
| 9 | Castellón | 9.17 M | +7.9% | 8.5 M | 5.1% | Port |
| 10 | Valencia | 3.95 M | +14.8% | 3.44 M | 2.2% | Port |
| 11 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 3.33 M | −19.8% | 4.15 M | 1.8% | Port |
| 12 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 2.77 M | +21.0% | 2.29 M | 1.5% | Port |
| 13 | Baleares | 1.63 M | +5.2% | 1.55 M | 0.9% | Port |
| 14 | Gijón | 1.58 M | −8.9% | 1.74 M | 0.9% | Port |
| 15 | Motril | 1.47 M | +15.8% | 1.27 M | 0.8% | Port |
| 16 | Bahía de Cádiz | 1.14 M | +113.9% | 533,276 | 0.6% | Port |
| 17 | Ceuta | 960,538 | +60.9% | 597,163 | 0.5% | Port |
| 18 | Avilés | 578,614 | −1.0% | 584,685 | 0.3% | Port |
| 19 | Sevilla | 519,069 | −6.5% | 554,911 | 0.3% | Port |
| 20 | Vilagarcía | 323,918 | +13.2% | 286,260 | 0.2% | Port |
| 21 | Santander | 230,370 | +39.0% | 165,764 | 0.1% | Port |
| 22 | Almería | 122,394 | −0.4% | 122,835 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Málaga | 89,448 | −20.7% | 112,859 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Melilla | 64,964 | +1.0% | 64,303 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Alicante | 53,418 | −16.6% | 64,074 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Vigo | 29,356 | −24.0% | 38,634 | 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 2025?
Bahía de Algeciras, with 28.5 million tonnes in 2025, 15.8% of the total.
What was the liquid bulk traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2025?
180.4 million tonnes in 2025, 0.8% more than in 2024.
Was 2025 a record year?
No: the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2019, with 187.1 million tonnes; 2025 was 3.6% 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.