The volume of goods traffic through ports of general interest exceeds 275 million tonnes in the first half of the year

• Import-export TEUs increased by 7.8% up to June, reinforcing the upward trend of this traffic.

• Spanish ports handled over 17 million passenger movements. 

23-07-2025 (Puertos del Estado) Ports of general interest handled 275,408,053 tonnes up to June 2025, representing a 3.1% decrease compared to the same period in 2024, according to provisional data.

The first half of 2025 has been marked by a correction in port traffic following a 2024 characterized by sharp temporary increases in Spanish ports for goods such as transshipment containers and bunkering, combined with the stagnation of global trade highlighted by the World Trade Organization (WTO) as an effect of geopolitical instability and uncertainty in global economic policies.

General cargo recorded a 0.8% drop in the first six months of the year, reaching 141 million tonnes, with conventional cargo rising by 3.6% to 45.3 million tonnes and containerized cargo falling by 2.8% to 95.7 million tonnes compared to the same period of the previous year.

TEUs saw a slight increase of 0.5% compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 9.1 million tonnes. The downward trend in transshipment TEUs (-4.3%) has continued since the beginning of 2025, correcting part of the sharp rise in 2024 (+15.1%) driven by route changes due to instability in the Red Sea. The first half confirms the growing strength of import-export traffic (+7.8%) at Spanish ports.

Solid bulk cargo shrank by 4.7% compared to the same period last year, to 39.9 million tonnes, as positive figures for minerals and metallurgical products could not offset declines in fertilizers and foodstuffs. Liquid bulk cargo also fell, by 5.5%, to 87 million tonnes, mainly due to oil and its derivatives.

Ro-ro traffic increased by 2.8% to reach 38.2 million tonnes.

The number of merchant vessels calling at Spanish ports fell by 1.1% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year, totaling 78,173 ships, while gross tonnage rose by 0.6%.

Passenger traffic grew by 7.8% up to June compared to the same period in 2024, surpassing 17.7 million passenger movements.