Cargo traffic through ports of general interest exceeds 373 million tonnes in the first eight months

• The figures represent an increase of 1.2% compared with the same period of the previous year.
• Spanish ports recorded more than 29 million passenger movements.

23-09-2026 (Puertos del Estado). Ports of general interest handled 373,001,481 tonnes through August 2026, representing growth of 1.2% compared with the same period of the previous year. The figures reflect a slight increase in traffic, despite the context of global geopolitical uncertainty and rising fuel prices.

General cargo recorded a decline of 0.6% in the first eight months of the year, to 186.3 million tonnes, with conventional cargo increasing by 1.2%, to 59.7 million tonnes, while containerized cargo fell by -1.5%, (126.6 million tonnes) compared with the same period of the previous year.

TEU containers recorded an increase of 0.7%, reaching 12.5 million units through August. Import-export activity continues its upward trend, with growth of 1.8% at Spanish ports.

Dry bulk reversed its trend and recorded an increase of 0.5% compared with the same period of the previous year, with a cumulative total of 52.7 million tonnes, driven by strong results for cereals and their flours and other minerals. Liquid bulk increased by 4%, to 123.1 million tonnes, due to movements in the energy group (crude oil, gasoline, fuel oil) and chemical products.

Ro-ro traffic increased by 0.2 % to 50.5 million tonnes.

The number of merchant ships calling at Spanish ports decreased by slightly more than one point (-1.3%) compared with the same period of 2025, with a total of 108,461 vessels, while gross tonnage grew by 0.5 %.

Passenger traffic decreased by 0.8 % compared with the same period of the previous year, exceeding 29.1 million movements.