2015 total
51.2 million tonnes
First port · 2015
10.5 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
74.7 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
4.79 million tonnes
The 2015 balance
Spanish ports handled 51.2 million tonnes of ro-ro traffic in 2015, 6.6% more than in 2014 (3.15 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 2025, with 74.7 million tonnes: 2015 was 31.5% below it and ranks 11th of the 14 years with data. At the end of 2015 it was the highest figure in the series, which starts in 2012; it was later exceeded in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
In the 2015 ranking, the ports moving up on 2014 are Barcelona (from 2nd to 1st) and Melilla (from 12th to 10th); those moving down are Baleares (from 1st to 2nd).
Barcelona ranks first among port authorities with 10.5 million tonnes in 2015 (9.2% more than in 2014). It is followed by Baleares (10.4 million) and Valencia (8.54 million). Together, the three account for 57.6% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Vigo (+14.7%), Valencia (+12.4%) and Barcelona (+9.2%). 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 Bahía de Algeciras (4th, 6.84 million, +8.6%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (5th, 3.42 million, +7.4%), Las Palmas (6th, 3.19 million, +0.2%), Santander (7th, 1.39 million, +4.9%), Ceuta (8th, 995,197 tonnes, +3.8%), Vigo (9th, 944,990 tonnes, +14.7%) and Melilla (10th, 740,193 tonnes, +6.6%).
At the bottom of the table are Ferrol-San Cibrao (60,946 tonnes), Gijón (2,122 tonnes) and Cartagena (105 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 77.7% of the total and 6 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 8.1%. 17 of the 24 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2014, 6 of them by double digits, and 7 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2015 with data, 11 are above the same month of 2014 and 1 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 11.8% on the same months of 2014; the largest year-on-year difference was in December (up 15.5%); the highest point in the series was May, at 4.79 M, and the lowest January, at 3.47 M.
Between 2012 and 2015 the figure went from 41.7 M to 51.2 M, an increase of 22.7% over 3 years (+7.1% a year on average); the last year is the high point of the series and the low was 2012 (41.7 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · 2015
Month by month · 2015 vs 2014
Annual series, 2012–2015
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2015
| # | Port authorities | 2015 | Change on 2014 | 2014 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 10.5 M | +9.2% | 9.63 M | 20.6% | Port |
| 2 | Baleares | 10.4 M | +7.9% | 9.65 M | 20.4% | Port |
| 3 | Valencia | 8.54 M | +12.4% | 7.6 M | 16.7% | Port |
| 4 | Bahía de Algeciras | 6.84 M | +8.6% | 6.3 M | 13.4% | Port |
| 5 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 3.42 M | +7.4% | 3.18 M | 6.7% | Port |
| 6 | Las Palmas | 3.19 M | +0.2% | 3.18 M | 6.2% | Port |
| 7 | Santander | 1.39 M | +4.9% | 1.33 M | 2.7% | Port |
| 8 | Ceuta | 995,197 | +3.8% | 958,365 | 1.9% | Port |
| 9 | Vigo | 944,990 | +14.7% | 823,798 | 1.8% | Port |
| 10 | Melilla | 740,193 | +6.6% | 694,317 | 1.4% | Port |
| 11 | Bahía de Cádiz | 735,075 | 0.0% | 734,888 | 1.4% | Port |
| 12 | Pasaia | 587,619 | +8.7% | 540,804 | 1.1% | Port |
| 13 | Bilbao | 508,781 | −33.8% | 768,530 | 1.0% | Port |
| 14 | Málaga | 499,850 | −0.6% | 502,849 | 1.0% | Port |
| 15 | Castellón | 486,752 | +20.0% | 405,668 | 1.0% | Port |
| 16 | Almería | 377,977 | +11.3% | 339,598 | 0.7% | Port |
| 17 | Sevilla | 286,829 | −0.7% | 288,890 | 0.6% | Port |
| 18 | Motril | 216,980 | +16.7% | 185,961 | 0.4% | Port |
| 19 | Tarragona | 169,347 | +110.6% | 80,400 | 0.3% | Port |
| 20 | Huelva | 151,479 | −12.6% | 173,410 | 0.3% | Port |
| 21 | Alicante | 75,531 | −22.5% | 97,513 | 0.1% | Port |
| 22 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 60,946 | +7.0% | 56,979 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Gijón | 2,122 | −99.6% | 479,342 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Cartagena | 105 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | A Coruña | 0 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Avilés | 0 | −100.0% | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 0 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Vilagarcía | 0 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
What this indicator measures
Ro-ro (roll-on/roll-off) traffic is cargo that is driven on and off the ship: lorries, trailers, platforms and new vehicles. Puertos del Estado measures it in tonnes and in ITUs (intermodal transport units: each lorry, trailer or platform counts as one). It is the traffic of the Motorways of the Sea and of the lines to the Balearic and Canary Islands and North Africa.
Frequently asked questions
Which was Spain’s first port by ro-ro traffic in 2015?
Barcelona, with 10.5 million tonnes in 2015, 20.6% of the total.
What was the ro-ro traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2015?
51.2 million tonnes in 2015, 6.6% more than in 2014.
Was 2015 a record year?
At the time, yes: at the end of 2015, 51.2 million tonnes was the highest annual figure in the series, which starts in 2012. It was later exceeded in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2025, with 74.7 million tonnes.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · ro-ro traffic by port, annual series or see the original source.