Ports of general interest handled 275,408,053 tons by June 2025, representing a 3.1% decline compared to the same period in 2024, according to provisional data. The first half of 2025 was marked by a correction in port traffic following a 2024 of strong cyclical increases in Spanish ports for goods such as transit containers or supplies, compounded by the stagnation in global trade warned by the World Trade Organization (WTO), an effect of geopolitical instability and uncertainty in global economic policies.
General cargo recorded a 0.8% decline in the first six months of the year, to 141 million tons, with a 3.6% increase in conventional cargo, to 45.3 million tons, and a 2.8% drop in containerized cargo (95.7 million tons) compared to the same months of the previous year.
TEUs saw a 0.5% increase compared to the same period in 2024, with 9.1 million tons. The downward trend in transit TEUs (-3%) observed since the beginning of 2025 continues, partially correcting the strong surge recorded in 2024 (15.1%) due to route changes stemming from instability in the Red Sea. The first half confirms the growing strength of import-export (7.8%) in Spanish ports.
Decline in solid and liquid bulk
Solid bulk contracted by 4.7% compared to the same period the previous year, to 39.9 million tons, where strong figures for minerals and metallurgical products could not offset the decline in fertilizers and foodstuffs. Liquid bulk also fell by 5.5%, to 87 million tons, due to oil and derivatives.
The number of merchant vessels in Spanish ports decreased by 1.1% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period the previous year, totaling 78,173 units, while gross tonnage increased by 0.6%. Passenger traffic rose by 7.8% by June compared to the same period in 2024, exceeding 17.7 million movements.
