State-owned ports handled more than 230 million tonnes of cargo through May

•    TEU traffic continues its recovery, rising by 2.8%, although at a slower pace than in previous months.
•    Liquid bulk traffic posted a strong 3.9% increase, driven by fuels and chemical products.

22-06-2026 (Puertos del Estado). Cargo traffic through Spain’s ports of general interest reached 230,991,975 tonnes through May 2026, representing a 0.3% increase compared with the same period last year. Following a start to the year marked by declining traffic figures, May showed signs of a slight recovery, mainly driven by liquid bulk cargo and container traffic.

General cargo declined by 0.7% during the first five months of the year, with 115.84 million tonnes handled. Conventional general cargo rose by 0.1%, while containerised cargo fell by 1.1%.

TEU traffic increased by 2.8%—following growth of 4.2% in April and 3.6% in March—to exceed 7.79 million TEUs through May. Transhipment traffic rose by 2.8%, while import-export traffic grew by 2.9%.

Liquid bulk cargo posted a solid 3.9% increase, reaching 76.66 million tonnes accumulated since January, supported by higher volumes of gasoline, fuel oil, biofuels and chemical products.

Dry bulk traffic moderated its decline, totalling 32.18 million tonnes (-3.6%). Moreover, traffic in May 2026 exceeded the figure recorded in May 2025 (7.14 million tonnes versus 6.51 million tonnes).

Ro-ro traffic fell by 1.5%, a less pronounced decline than in previous months, reaching 31.33 million tonnes.

The number of merchant vessels calling at Spanish ports decreased by 3.7%, to 61,053 vessels, while gross tonnage declined by 2.2%.

Passenger traffic reached 13.85 million movements through May, representing a 1.5% decrease compared with the same period in 2025.