tenerife ports second passenger traffic spain

Tenerife ports rank second in Spain for passenger numbers

Second place in national passenger rankings

The Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has closed the first half of the year as the second-busiest port system in Spain for passenger movements. Between January and June, it recorded 2.6 million travellers on regular ferry services, rising to more than 3.6 million when cruise passengers are included – a figure only surpassed by the Balearic Islands, which registered 3.8 million.

The result was achieved despite a decline in inter-island traffic. Passenger numbers on regular lines fell by 3.2% compared with the same period in 2025, representing around 87,000 fewer travellers and reflecting a reduction in maritime journeys between the islands.

Cruise growth offsets ferry decline

Cruise traffic helped offset part of that decline. The ports under the authority’s management welcomed one million cruise passengers during the first six months of the year, an increase of 10.3%. Of those, 688,700 passed through the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where this segment grew by 8.45%.

The number of cruise ship calls also rose. The province recorded 424 stopovers, up 6.3%, maintaining its second-place national ranking. The average number of passengers per vessel stood at 2,359.

Bunkering and freight performance

Another notable advance came in ship bunkering. The Tenerife ports supplied 533,845 tonnes of provisions, of which 448,231 tonnes were fuel. This activity grew by 32.9%, placing the Port Authority fourth nationally with 9.4% of all fuel supplied at state-run ports.

General cargo movements reached 4.3 million tonnes, down 6% on the previous year. Despite the decrease, the province ranked sixth nationally. In container traffic, it claimed fifth position with 141,700 units handled over the half-year period.

Leading the country in vehicle ferry movements

The Port Authority did lead the national rankings in the movement of vehicles transported by ferry. Between January and June, 857,813 cars were counted, representing 28.6% of all vehicles moved under this regime through Spain’s ports of general interest.

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