Decline in Goods Transportation at Spanish Ports by 2.3% in July

In the bustling world of maritime trade, Spanish ports have witnessed a mixed bag of trends over the past seven months of 2025. According to the Spanish Port Authority (Autoridad Portuaria de España), the country's main commercial ports have seen a 2.3% decrease in cargo traffic, totalling 323.8 million tons.

One of the key factors contributing to this decline is the decreased transit of TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), which saw a 3.1% decrease. However, this decrease was not enough to offset the positive results seen in other sectors. For instance, iron ore and other non-metallic minerals in solid bulk experienced a growth of unspecified proportions.

In a surprising turn of events, import-export TEUs bucked the trend, registering an 8.7% increase. This growth was reflected in the overall TEU count, which saw a 1.5% increase, reaching 10.8 million units by July.

Despite the overall decrease in cargo traffic, there were some notable bright spots. Ro-ro traffic (vehicles with wheels) increased by 3.1%, amounting to 45 million tons. Passenger traffic also saw a significant jump, increasing by 6.5% compared to the same period in 2024, surpassing 22.9 million movements.

The cruise sector also saw a surge, with more than 7.5 million passengers travelling, marking a 16.5% increase from last year.

However, not all sectors fared well. Liquid bulk decreased by 3.3%, primarily due to the lower movement of crude oil and derivatives, resulting in 103.5 million tons. Solid bulk also saw a decrease of 5.5%, amounting to 46.4 million tons.

On a positive note, conventional cargo increased by 4.4%, totalling 53.4 million tons. General cargo, while showing a slight decrease of 0.2%, still amounted to 165.5 million tons.

Interestingly, the strong 19.2% growth in TEUs seen in 2024 was due to route changes caused by instability in the Red Sea. However, in the first half of 2025, containerized cargo traffic has seen a 2.3% decrease, with 112.1 million tons.

Lastly, the number of merchant ships in Spanish ports decreased by 1.4%, with a total of 94,041 units. Gross tonnage experienced a modest increase of 0.9%.

As we move forward, it will be interesting to see how these trends continue to evolve in the second half of 2025.