Freight traffic through state-owned ports exceeds 135 million tonnes in the first quarter

•    TEUs increased by 0.5% through March, with a 7.3% rise in import-export traffic.
•    Spanish ports recorded 6.8 million passenger movements.

April 24, 2025 (Puertos del Estado). State-owned ports handled 135,236,990 tonnes up to March 2025, representing a 0.8% decrease compared to the same period in 2024, according to provisional data.

The first quarter of the year was marked by a succession of storms that led to temporary closures of some ports, as well as instability in global trade due to geopolitical tensions and uncertainty over U.S. tariffs. However, following a 6.4% drop in January and a 1.7% decline in February, traffic rebounded in March, easing the overall downturn for the quarter.

General cargo saw a 1.7% increase in the first three months of the year, reaching 68.2 million tonnes. This was driven by a strong 9.2% growth in conventional cargo, reaching 22.4 million tonnes, while containerized cargo declined by 1.7% compared to the same period last year.

TEUs rose by 0.5% through March, reaching 4.3 million tonnes. The first quarter confirmed a drop in transshipment TEUs (-4.2%) and a notable increase in import-export traffic (+7.3%).

Solid bulk recovered in March after declines in January and February, closing the quarter with a slight 0.1% increase compared to the same period last year, totaling 20.3 million tonnes.

Liquid bulk fell by 4.7% (compared to -10.8% in January and -7% in February), totaling 43 million tonnes.

Ro-ro traffic rose sharply by 8.3%, reaching 19.1 million tonnes.

The number of merchant vessels calling at Spanish ports increased by 0.2% in the first three months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, reaching a total of 36,008 vessels. Gross tonnage grew by 1.4%.

Passenger traffic increased by 5.2% through March compared to the same months in 2024, totaling 6.8 million passenger movements.