2017 total
58.1 million tonnes
First port · 2017
12.2 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
74.7 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
5.48 million tonnes
The 2017 balance
Spanish ports handled 58.1 million tonnes of ro-ro traffic in 2017, 8.7% more than in 2016 (4.63 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: 2017 was 22.2% below it and ranks 9th of the 14 years with data. At the end of 2017 it was the highest figure in the series, which starts in 2012; it was later exceeded in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
In the 2017 ranking, the ports moving up on 2016 are Las Palmas (from 6th to 5th), Vigo (from 9th to 8th) and Bahía de Cádiz (from 10th to 9th); those moving down are Santa Cruz de Tenerife (from 5th to 6th) and Ceuta (from 8th to 10th). The top three positions are unchanged.
Baleares ranks first among port authorities with 12.2 million tonnes in 2017 (5.9% more than in 2016). It is followed by Barcelona (11.2 million) and Valencia (9.45 million). Together, the three account for 56.5% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Motril (+64.0%), Las Palmas (+25.7%) and Bahía de Cádiz (+12.3%); the steepest falls by Ceuta (−16.2%). 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, 7.71 million, +3.9%), Las Palmas (5th, 4.18 million, +25.7%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (6th, 3.82 million, +1.9%), Santander (7th, 1.55 million, +9.9%), Vigo (8th, 1.08 million, +6.5%), Bahía de Cádiz (9th, 894,289 tonnes, +12.3%) and Ceuta (10th, 867,997 tonnes, −16.2%).
At the bottom of the table are Alicante (95,217 tonnes), Ferrol-San Cibrao (71,182 tonnes) and Gijón (978 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 77% of the total and 6 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 8.9%. 15 of the 21 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2016, 4 of them by double digits, and 6 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2017 with data, 11 are above the same month of 2016 and 1 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 11.1% on the same months of 2016; the largest year-on-year difference was in October (up 13.3%); the highest point in the series was May, at 5.48 M, and the lowest January, at 3.98 M.
Between 2012 and 2017 the figure went from 41.7 M to 58.1 M, an increase of 39.3% over 5 years (+6.9% 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 · 2017
Month by month · 2017 vs 2016
Annual series, 2012–2017
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2017
| # | Port authorities | 2017 | Change on 2016 | 2016 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baleares | 12.2 M | +5.9% | 11.5 M | 20.9% | Port |
| 2 | Barcelona | 11.2 M | +4.7% | 10.7 M | 19.3% | Port |
| 3 | Valencia | 9.45 M | +5.7% | 8.94 M | 16.3% | Port |
| 4 | Bahía de Algeciras | 7.71 M | +3.9% | 7.42 M | 13.3% | Port |
| 5 | Las Palmas | 4.18 M | +25.7% | 3.33 M | 7.2% | Port |
| 6 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 3.82 M | +1.9% | 3.74 M | 6.6% | Port |
| 7 | Santander | 1.55 M | +9.9% | 1.41 M | 2.7% | Port |
| 8 | Vigo | 1.08 M | +6.5% | 1.01 M | 1.9% | Port |
| 9 | Bahía de Cádiz | 894,289 | +12.3% | 796,064 | 1.5% | Port |
| 10 | Ceuta | 867,997 | −16.2% | 1.04 M | 1.5% | Port |
| 11 | Melilla | 852,972 | — | — | 1.5% | Port |
| 12 | Bilbao | 810,439 | — | — | 1.4% | Port |
| 13 | Pasaia | 601,098 | +0.4% | 598,521 | 1.0% | Port |
| 14 | Motril | 589,056 | +64.0% | 359,156 | 1.0% | Port |
| 15 | Castellón | 537,427 | −13.5% | 621,141 | 0.9% | Port |
| 16 | Málaga | 530,236 | +1.6% | 521,997 | 0.9% | Port |
| 17 | Almería | 432,697 | +4.6% | 413,477 | 0.7% | Port |
| 18 | Tarragona | 296,632 | +33.3% | 222,469 | 0.5% | Port |
| 19 | Sevilla | 201,609 | — | — | 0.3% | Port |
| 20 | Huelva | 151,002 | +3.1% | 146,515 | 0.3% | Port |
| 21 | Alicante | 95,217 | −14.3% | 111,105 | 0.2% | Port |
| 22 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 71,182 | −1.6% | 72,308 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Gijón | 978 | −77.6% | 4,361 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | A Coruña | 0 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Avilés | 0 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Cartagena | 0 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 0 | −100.0% | — | 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 2017?
Baleares, with 12.2 million tonnes in 2017, 20.9% of the total.
What was the ro-ro traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2017?
58.1 million tonnes in 2017, 8.7% more than in 2016.
Was 2017 a record year?
At the time, yes: at the end of 2017, 58.1 million tonnes was the highest annual figure in the series, which starts in 2012. It was later exceeded in 2018, 2019, 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.