Zero electricity paralyses Spanish ports and puts maritime logistics in check

The ports of the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla – not connected to the mainland electricity system – were not affected by the incident and continued to operate normally.

A historic electricity blackout which broke out at 12:32 this Monday has left the whole of mainland Spain without supply, wreaking havoc on key infrastructures. Spanish ports, the backbone of foreign trade, were severely affected: cranes immobilised, computer systems out of service and logistics operations practically halted. While emergency generators have been activated in most port enclosures to maintain basic services, authorities warn of widespread disruptions in cargo loading and delays in supply chains, with possible repercussions in the coming days.

Terminals at a standstill and manual controls at the ports

The blackout took the ports of the peninsula by surprise in the middle of the working day, forcing the immediate stoppage of many of their operations. Ships and ferries managed to continue entering and leaving the ports under contingency procedures, but the loading and unloading work was subject to the restoration of electricity. Industry sources say that ‘the entry and exit of ships was relatively normal, but not the loading and unloading of cargo’ which depends on the supply of cranes. In practice, this meant that in ports such as Valencia the facilities remained open to maritime traffic, but without being able to move containers due to the lack of power for the port machinery.

Despite the impact, port authorities managed to avoid major incidents. Most ports were equipped with back-up generators, which allowed essential safety systems (emergency lighting, beaconing, communications) to remain operational and manual checks to be carried out. The Ministry of Transport confirmed that there were no significant safety incidents at sea, thanks to the emergency measures deployed by Puertos del Estado and the Merchant Navy. However, the general picture on the docks was unusual: port staff processing procedures ‘the old-fashioned way’, with pen and paper, and managers activating crisis protocols to coordinate the response.

Algeciras, the most affected port

The Port of Algeciras, the busiest port in Spain, has been one of the hardest hit by the blackout. Its container terminals – operated by APM Terminals and TTI Algeciras – have been completely paralysed since the blackout….