New opportunities for Spanish ports in the primary European market

• 36.5% of the goods handled by Spanish ports have Europe as their origin/destination.
• Ro-ro traffic and project cargo gain ground in Spanish ports.
• The logistic-port offer is complemented by nearly 125 km of docks and over 300 cranes to handle all types of cargo.

May 16, 2022 (Public Body Puertos del Estado). With over 161 million tons moved in 2021 to or from a European country, Europe continues to be Spain's main market. Out of the 532 million tons of goods handled in Spanish ports in 2021, 440 million tons were with countries worldwide. Of these, more than 36.5%, or 161 million tons, had Europe as their origin/destination, 103.7 million tons (23.5%) with Africa, and 98.7 million tons (22.4%) with America. This robust trade relationship with Europe is reflected in the significant presence of Spanish ports at one of the industry's main events, the BreakBulk exhibition taking place from May 17 to 19 in Rotterdam (the Netherlands).

In 2021, Spanish ports handled over 85 million tons of solid bulk, an increase of +10.4% compared to 2020, 171 million tons of liquid bulk (+2.4%), 77 million tons of conventional general cargo (+14.8%), 198 million tons of containerized cargo (+2.4%), and 65 million tons of ro-ro traffic (+14.5%). These figures highlight the versatility of Spanish ports to handle all types of cargo and provide multiple logistical solutions to users.

Project cargo: The challenge of moving infrequent and oversized goods

Spanish ports are increasingly receiving orders for the transport of so-called "project cargo," which includes goods with dimensions beyond typical sizes and weights, forming part of large structures that require handling in spacious areas with special cranes and highly qualified personnel. Port operators themselves organize and coordinate all transports involved in the logistics chain.

This type of cargo, including more sophisticated items like wind turbine blades, metal structures, offshore platforms, etc., is gaining prominence, and all of these find a place in our ports. Therefore, the presence of Spanish ports and companies at this exhibition aims to consolidate existing traffic and attract new ones, particularly those involving transit and ro-ro facilities.

With over 62 kilometers of linear quays dedicated to bulk cargo, 18 kilometers for ro-ro traffic, and 45 kilometers for multi-use purposes, served by more than 300 cranes, the offer from the Spanish port system, the main platform in Southern Europe, becomes one of the main offerings at this exhibition.

Rotterdam: The largest European port increases business opportunities for Spanish ports and operators

Coordinated by Puertos del Estado, at the "Ports of Spain" booth, and under the motto "Shared Course," 19 Port Authorities, representing over 83% of national port traffic, will gather in Rotterdam: A Coruña, Avilés, Bay of Algeciras, Bay of Cadiz, Bilbao, Cartagena, Castellón, Ceuta, Ferrol-San Cibrao, Gijón, Huelva, Las Palmas, Malaga, Santander, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Seville, Tarragona, Valencia, and Vigo. All of them share a common goal: to offer users high-quality, competitive facilities and services capable of handling any type of cargo, from any origin/destination, interconnected with the main Trans-European Transport Networks and at the crossroads of the world's major maritime routes.

BreakBulk Europe is the most important exhibition in Europe for bulk cargo, project cargo logistics, and ro-ro. With nearly 560 exhibiting companies from over 120 countries, it is the perfect showcase for Spanish ports and logistics-port operators to demonstrate to attendees the possibilities of handling and transporting any type of cargo from Spain to any destination worldwide."