Port of Bilbao throughput falls 6.8 per cent in 2025

The Port of Bilbao Authority reported throughput of just over 32 million tonnes in 2025, down 6.8 per cent year-on-year (YoY), largely due to a scheduled two-month technical shutdown at the Petronor refinery between May and July.

Port of Bilbao throughput falls 6.8 per cent in 2025

Excluding the outage, volumes would have declined by 0.5 per cent, broadly in line with Spain’s wider port system.

Traffic recovered in the second half of the year, rising 1.5 per cent compared with the same period in 2024.

Geopolitical tensions weighed on foreign trade, with exports falling 13 per cent and imports down nearly 4 per cent, particularly in liquid bulk and container exports.

Crude oil imports dropped 13 per cent, alongside declines in gasoil and petrol. In contrast, natural gas imports rose 5 per cent to 3.6 million tonnes, with additional gains in agribulk, non-metallic minerals, scrap and construction materials.

The United Kingdom remained Bilbao’s leading export market, while the US ranked first for imports.

US trade grew strongly, driven by higher liquid bulk and natural gas flows, making the US the main source of gas imports in 2025. However, exports to the US declined, notably in chemicals and machine tools.

New connectivity supported transatlantic growth, including two direct container services launched by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) to Canada and South America.

European links were also strengthened through additional services to Poland, the UK and Ireland.

Rail freight remained a strategic focus, with 3,800 trains handled during the year and rail maintaining a 26 per cent share of container traffic — the highest in Spain’s port system.

The port handled 2,611 vessels in 2025, averaging seven calls per day. Financially, turnover edged up to €77 million ($90 million), while EBITDA reached €35.2 million ($41.5 million).

The port maintained a solid cash position and secured up to €80 million ($94 million) in green financing from the European Investment Bank, alongside €34 million ($40 million) in European Commission grants to support electrification, decarbonisation and innovation projects.

Investment totalled €35.7 million ($42.1 million) in 2025 and is set to rise to €110.9 million ($130.9 million) in 2026.

Major projects include the second phase of the central breakwater, expansion of onshore power supply (OPS) infrastructure, photovoltaic installations, and upgrades to customs and energy systems.

Construction of the central breakwater extension — creating over 1,000 metres of new berthing space and 310,000 square metres of additional port area — is underway and scheduled for completion in early 2027.

The port also advanced its Energy Transition Plan, progressing dock electrification (BilbOPS), large-scale solar deployment, and a new powertrack system to support OPS2.

A Digital Transformation Plan, backed by €18 million ($21 million) through 2030, will modernise infrastructure, strengthen cybersecurity, and enhance logistics efficiency.

Despite lower overall volumes, Bilbao positioned 2025 as a year of structural progress, focusing on connectivity, intermodality, decarbonisation and digitalisation to strengthen long-term competitiveness.

In November 2025, the Port of Bilbao become the first operational environment to host real-world testing of the H2TowTractor, a hydrogen-powered towing vehicle designed to decarbonise high-intensity logistics activities.