Spanish short sea shipping has crossed in the last decade a phase of expansion, followed by fluctuations that have slowed down its growth. One of these negative variations was recorded in the first half of this year when These maritime transport services handled 124 million of tons of goods, with a decrease of -6.8% on the first half of 2025. If the overall positive trend of the decade could lead to the first six months of 2026 being considered a new fluctuation, however, to worry the Shortsea Promotion Centre Spain (SPC Spain) is the comparison with road transport. The Spanish Association for the Promotion of Shortsea Shipping, in fact, he highlighted how the half-year figure confirms the trend negative trend in recent years and comes together with a contraction of the offer of alternative maritime services to the road.

Submitting its latest report on ocean freight to SPC Spain explained that the decline in the first half of 2026 concerns both foreign traffic (-4.7%), and accounts for 78.2% of the total, and, more markedly, cabotage (-13.6%), which is equal to 21.8% of the total. How much to the type of goods, the most marked decrease was was marked by containerized cargo (-22.8%), followed by rolling stock (-7.5%) and dry bulk (-4.2%). Growth in liquid bulk (+6.4%).

The report points out that, in particular, maritime transport international short-range ro-ro, which is the main maritime alternative to road transport, has fallen by -1.2% to 13.3 million tonnes. On the Atlantic front, the decline was -4.8%, while the Mediterranean remained substantially stable (-0.7%). Trucks (about 696 thousand units, 1.6 million of tonnes) fell by -2.7% year-on-year, although they marked an increase of +5.1% compared to the second half of 2025. Shipments decreased by -8.7%, while landings decreased by grew by +11.1%.

For SPC Spain, the most worrying fact is that at the contraction in demand is accompanied by a new cut of supply, since the capacity of the loading services rolling stock alternative to the road, which fell by -7.3% compared to the first half of 2025, with a reduction on the Atlantic front of -8.8% (from 1.3 to 1.2 million linear meters) and on the Mediterranean front by -6.5% (from 2.7 to 2.5 million linear metres). A decrease - noted the association - due to the adjustment of capacity of maritime transport to the declining demand implemented by the companies navigation. The report specifies that the signal is more evident concerns the Motorways of the Sea which have dropped from ten to seven lines: on the Atlantic there are two (there were three) and on the five (there were seven). The total capacity of the Motorways of the Sea fell by -10.2%. On the front Atlantic the reduction was -19.9% (from 531 to 425 thousand linear meters), on the Mediterranean market by -7.9% (from 2.2 to 2.0 million). According to the association, this phase of adjustment risks reducing the alternatives available to operators and limit the contribution of short sea shipping to the decarbonisation and decongestion of roads.

The report also notes that the effect on the employment rate is paradoxical: the reduction in supply (about -13% on an annual basis) it brought the estimated employment to 80.0% against 68.3% in 2025. In the Mediterranean, it rose to 86.2% (72.5% in 2025) and on the Atlantic to 65.8% (58.9%). The improvement therefore derives from the capacity cuts, not from a recovery in demand.

The document also draws a (heterogeneous) picture evolution of short sea shipping traffic compared to the European services markets. On the Atlantic front, trade with Belgium decreased by -20.7%, with the United Kingdom by -10.4% and with Ireland -6.0%. The only exception is the Netherlands, up +564% thanks to the opening of the line with Vilagarcía de Arousa, but on very small volumes. On the front Morocco, which remains the first market in terms of volumes, has -2.3%. Italy grew by +1.3% (but compared to to a decline of -9.4% recorded in the first half of 2025).

The report also presents a comparison with transport explaining that the first half of 2026 is part of A reversal of the trend that is now consolidated. Between 2013 and 2019 Short Sea shipping has grown on average of +7.8% per year, against +4.6% for the road, with a correlation between the two modes of 0.95. Between 2021 and 2025, the The situation has been reversed: shipping is short radius lost an average of -2.3% per year, while transport grew by +1.1%, with a negative correlation of -0.41. The association links the change of course to the entry into force, on January 1, 2020, of the International Maritime Organization which lowered the upper limit of the of sulphur in marine fuels, and, subsequently, of the EU ETS emissions trading and the EU Regulation FuelEU Maritime. The analysis by countries in the period 2021-2025 shows whereas the impact is greatest in EU countries, with transport short sea shipping of rolling stock that with Italy has gone down -4.4% compared to +0.7% for road transport, and with percentage changes that were respectively +2.3% and +3.7% with Belgium, -4.4% and -7.2% with the United Kingdom and +14.4% and +2.8% with Morocco.

The report points out that the share of short shipping ro-ro range in international transport flows (road more sea) fell to 10.7% in 2025 from 11.0% in 2024 and maximum of 12.1% in 2021. The highest shares are recorded in Italy (46.8%), the United Kingdom (28.2%) and Belgium (20.9%).

SPC Spain therefore fears that the first half of 2026 will not be Not at all a swing, but a game-changer for transportation in Spain. In light of this, The association calls for the transition to more sustainable transport sustainable transport takes into account the competitiveness of transport and the cumulative impact of new environmental standards. According to SPC, higher costs and regulatory restrictions are pushing traffic towards the road, with effects opposite to the decarbonization goals.