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5h ago

Spain’s Port Traffic Slips 2.3% Through July as Valencia Holds Up, Bilbao Falls

Bilbao’s sharp decline tracks tariff pressure, a refinery stoppage plus nearby competition.

Un buque portacontenedores, en la terminal de CSP Spain de València.
Image
Un buque belga amarrado en el puerto de Vilagarcía. | Noé Parga

Overview

  • Spain’s ports moved 323.8 million tonnes in January–July 2025, down 2.3% year over year, according to Transport Ministry data.
  • Valencia handled 47.7 million tonnes (-1%), narrowing the gap with Algeciras at 58.9 million (-5%) and edging further ahead of Barcelona at 40.9 million (-2.4%).
  • Bilbao moved 18.3 million tonnes (-12.7%) and dropped from fifth to sixth nationally, with container traffic reported down about 5%.
  • Local reporting links Bilbao’s slump to U.S. tariff policy under President Trump, a Petronor technical stoppage that concluded last month, and rising competition from Santander’s expanding terminal.
  • Container patterns diverged as Valencia’s TEUs rose 1.5% to 10.8 million while transit TEUs fell 3.1%; vehicle shipments via Valencia declined 13% to 304,640 units, influenced by lower Ford Almussafes output.