Valenciaport registered a modest decline in container traffic in May, handling 526,814 TEUs — down 1.38% compared to the same month last year — yet cumulative figures for 2025 remain solidly in the green. Container throughput at Valenciaport in May dipped slightly, with 7,386 fewer TEUs than in May 2024. This decline in monthly numbers highlights a slowdown in transshipment volumes, particularly for empty containers. Despite the monthly slip, port activity over the first five months of 2025 tells a different story — one of steady expansion and robust trade flows.
From January to May, Valenciaport terminals moved a total of 2,345,718 containers, marking a 4.66% increase over the same period in 2024. This growth is reflected even more strongly in the port’s rolling 12-month figures, with year-on-year traffic rising by 10.26% to reach 5.58 million TEUs.
While the port’s aggregate performance has been positive so far in 2025, container movement patterns are shifting. Full container imports and exports rose by 4.72% and 17.89%, respectively, indicating sustained demand and stronger outbound trade activity. However, full TEUs in transit dipped slightly by 0.95%, and empty transshipment containers fell by 17.31% in the first five months — an indicator of changing logistics flows and potential realignments in shipping routes.
In May alone, the port saw a nearly 5% decrease in transshipment activity. These fluctuations suggest that shipping lines may be adjusting regional rotations or consolidating services elsewhere, a trend that could persist if global conditions remain unstable.
On the international trade front, Algeria emerged as a breakout growth market for Valenciaport this year. Container traffic between the Spanish hub and the North African country surged by 60%, while total tonnage jumped 30.8%. This sharp uptick comes as trade relations between Spain and Algeria recover, positioning Algeria as Valenciaport’s third-largest container trade partner and fourth in tonnage.
So far in 2025, trade volumes with Algeria reached more than 2 million tonnes and nearly 135,000 TEUs — a significant development given the previous cooling of bilateral relations. For context, China and the United States continue to hold the top two spots on Valenciaport’s list of global trading partners, underscoring the port’s critical role in facilitating transcontinental commerce.
Passenger traffic at Valenciaport also offered a mixed picture in May. Scheduled ferry services carried 56,654 travelers, representing a 7.74% increase year-over-year. Cruise operations, on the other hand, saw a dip, with 90,979 cruise passengers arriving — 6.67% fewer than in May 2024.
These changes in passenger figures likely reflect broader trends in Mediterranean cruise bookings and seasonal variations. Still, Valenciaport remains one of Spain’s busiest combined cargo and passenger gateways.
As summer peaks, all eyes will be on how global shipping lines respond to recent geopolitical, economic, and environmental shifts — and how ports like Valencia adapt to new patterns in maritime traffic.
