Spanish State Ports begin 2026 with more than 41.2 million tonnes of cargo handled

•    Severe storms that affected Spain in January led to a 4.5% decrease in cargo traffic at Spanish ports compared to the same month last year.

23-02-2026 (Puertos del Estado). Ports of general interest handled 41,197,256 tonnes in January 2026, representing a 4.5% decrease compared to the same month the previous year. This decline was mainly due to severe storms affecting the different maritime façades, particularly the Strait area, at the beginning of the year, causing temporary closures and operational difficulties in port activities.

Spanish ports closed 2025 with more than 556.5 million tonnes handled, a slight decrease of 0.2% compared to 2024 (557.7 million), but achieving record figures in general cargo and TEUs. The year 2026 began with adverse weather conditions, combined with general economic uncertainty, impacting nearly all traffic segments.

Last month, general cargo fell by 8.1% compared to January 2025, reaching nearly 20 million tonnes. Conventional general cargo dropped by 7.8% (6.1 million tonnes), while containerised cargo declined by 8.2% (13.8 million tonnes). TEUs decreased by 4.2%, totalling 1.3 million units.

Solid bulk traffic increased by 1.4%, reaching 6.2 million tonnes, driven by a recovery in coal and, above all, cereals and fruit.

Liquid bulk traffic recorded a 2.4% decrease last month, with 13.7 million tonnes handled.

Ro-ro traffic fell by 8.9%, with 5.2 million tonnes managed, compared to January 2025.

The number of merchant vessels calling at Spanish ports declined by 8.4%, totalling 11,190 ships, while gross tonnage fell by 3.4%.

Passenger traffic increased by 0.6% in January 2026 compared to the same month the previous year, exceeding 2.4 million movements.