2021 total
65.3 million tonnes
First port · 2021
12.9 million tonnes
Series high, 2012–2025
74.7 million tonnes
Month with the highest figure
5.95 million tonnes
The 2021 balance
Spanish ports handled 65.3 million tonnes of ro-ro traffic in 2021, 14.4% more than in 2020 (8.21 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: 2021 was 12.6% below it and ranks 6th of the 14 years with data.
In the 2021 ranking, the ports moving up on 2020 are Bahía de Algeciras (from 4th to 3rd), Las Palmas (from 6th to 5th) and Bilbao (from 10th to 9th); those moving down are Barcelona (from 3rd to 4th) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (from 5th to 6th).
Valencia ranks first among port authorities with 12.9 million tonnes in 2021 (14.6% more than in 2020). It is followed by Baleares (12.2 million) and Bahía de Algeciras (11.7 million). Together, the three account for 56.2% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Almería (+30.8%), Bahía de Algeciras (+28.0%) and Bilbao (+25.0%); the steepest falls by Bahía de Cádiz (−2.2%). 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 Barcelona (4th, 11.1 million, +14.7%), Las Palmas (5th, 4.04 million, +9.6%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (6th, 3.77 million, +1.0%), Santander (7th, 2.43 million, +12.9%), Vigo (8th, 1.07 million, +5.3%), Bilbao (9th, 896,437 tonnes, +25.0%) and Almería (10th, 856,229 tonnes, +30.8%).
At the bottom of the table are Motril (38,570 tonnes), Alicante (10,271 tonnes) and Cartagena (2,154 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 79.4% of the total and 6 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 6.8%. 13 of the 22 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2020, 8 of them by double digits, and 9 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2021 with data, 10 are above the same month of 2020 and 2 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 15.1% on the same months of 2020; the largest year-on-year difference was in April (up 62.8%); the highest point in the series was October, at 5.95 M, and the lowest January, at 4.5 M.
Between 2012 and 2021 the figure went from 41.7 M to 65.3 M, an increase of 56.6% over 9 years (+5.1% a year on average). The best year was 2019 (65.8 M) and the worst 2012 (41.7 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 | Valencia | 12.9 M | +14.6% | 11.2 M | 19.7% | Port |
| 2 | Baleares | 12.2 M | +13.5% | 10.7 M | 18.6% | Port |
| 3 | Bahía de Algeciras | 11.7 M | +28.0% | 9.14 M | 17.9% | Port |
| 4 | Barcelona | 11.1 M | +14.7% | 9.67 M | 17.0% | Port |
| 5 | Las Palmas | 4.04 M | +9.6% | 3.69 M | 6.2% | Port |
| 6 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 3.77 M | +1.0% | 3.74 M | 5.8% | Port |
| 7 | Santander | 2.43 M | +12.9% | 2.15 M | 3.7% | Port |
| 8 | Vigo | 1.07 M | +5.3% | 1.02 M | 1.6% | Port |
| 9 | Bilbao | 896,437 | +25.0% | 717,321 | 1.4% | Port |
| 10 | Almería | 856,229 | +30.8% | 654,554 | 1.3% | Port |
| 11 | Bahía de Cádiz | 748,495 | −2.2% | 765,026 | 1.1% | Port |
| 12 | Ceuta | 595,261 | +6.7% | 557,712 | 0.9% | Port |
| 13 | Pasaia | 559,386 | −3.4% | 579,286 | 0.9% | Port |
| 14 | Melilla | 491,030 | −2.7% | 504,824 | 0.8% | Port |
| 15 | Málaga | 468,501 | −0.8% | 472,406 | 0.7% | Port |
| 16 | Huelva | 458,595 | −9.9% | 509,083 | 0.7% | Port |
| 17 | Tarragona | 456,716 | +145.0% | 186,386 | 0.7% | Port |
| 18 | Castellón | 410,864 | −4.6% | 430,745 | 0.6% | Port |
| 19 | Sevilla | 137,584 | +3.4% | 133,076 | 0.2% | Port |
| 20 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 43,942 | −6.3% | 46,908 | 0.1% | Port |
| 21 | Motril | 38,570 | −71.4% | 134,741 | 0.1% | Port |
| 22 | Alicante | 10,271 | −79.4% | 49,980 | 0.0% | Port |
| 23 | Cartagena | 2,154 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | A Coruña | 0 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Avilés | 0 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Gijón | 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 2021?
Valencia, with 12.9 million tonnes in 2021, 19.7% of the total.
What was the ro-ro traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2021?
65.3 million tonnes in 2021, 14.4% more than in 2020.
Was 2021 a record year?
No: the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2025, with 74.7 million tonnes; 2021 was 12.6% below it.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · ro-ro traffic by port, annual series or see the original source.