Spain’s main container ports are recovering after the country’s first general strike in 14 years stopped cargo handling at Algeciras, Valencia, and Barcelona on November 11. The strike has left ships waiting at anchor and created a backlog whose size is not yet known.
Container operations at Algeciras, Spain’s largest port by cargo volume and a major Mediterranean transshipment hub, stopped for 24 hours starting at 2 a.m. on November 11. Both terminals, APM Terminals Algeciras and Total Terminal International Algeciras, were halted, and unions reported participation of 85% to 100% among the port’s roughly 2,000 dockworkers. Storm Charles disrupted operations at the port at the same time.
In Valencia, regular loading and unloading stopped, although dangerous and perishable goods were still handled under minimum-service rules. In Barcelona, cargo operations that require dockworkers were suspended, along with customs inspections at the affected terminals. Ports in the Basque Country and A Coruña also reported full participation.
The effects reached inland, with rail freight from Valencia and Barcelona slowing and dozens of services reported canceled. Road freight was less affected. Spain’s logistics employers’ association, UNO, described the strike’s impact on transport as minimal and localized, concentrated in Barcelona and the ports of Valencia and Algeciras. Unions called the 24-hour strike over housing costs, wages, and the cost of living.
IAM Member Impact: Members with containers moving through Algeciras, Valencia, or Barcelona should expect vessel delays and berthing congestion this week as terminals clear the backlog. Shipments transshipping at Algeciras may also miss onward connections. Check revised schedules with carriers, allow extra time for rail delivery inland from Valencia and Barcelona, and update customer delivery estimates.
Sources: El Estrecho Digital; Sigmalive; The Loadstar