Algeciras box work stops for 24 hours in Spain’s general strike

By Elena Vasquez

APM Terminals and Total Terminal International each stopped container movements at Algeciras for 24 hours, from 2am on 11 November to 2am on 12 November. Spain’s general strike also halted loading and discharge at Valencia and dockers-supported cargo operations at Barcelona. Essential marine services continued, while terminal recovery began on 12 November without a clear measure of the resulting cargo backlog.

The 1,072-TEU Contship Zen remained at anchor off Valencia on the night after the strike, with a berth expected the following morning. The 20,124-TEU Ever Gifted also appeared to remain at anchor, although it arrived before the action and may have been waiting for another reason. Its presence still hinders efforts to clear the backlog.

How much cargo is stuck?

The scale and duration of any backlog depend on how quickly terminals restore normal productivity. Carriers may also need to revise their rotations or roll cargo. Terminal operators had not supplied those details when The Loadstar sought them on 12 November.

At Algeciras, AIS data showed the CMA CGM Tiga anchoring in the early hours and making slow approaches toward the port. It appeared to await a berth, even as terminal operators reported normal operations. One forwarder described the strike’s effect on its business as zero, although AIS data showed vessels waiting off both ports.

What did terminals report?

An APM Terminals spokesperson said the minimum service levels set by the Spanish Ministry and Port Authorities had been fully met across its Spanish facilities during the 11 November strike. The operator said Algeciras employees and contractors had not participated.

The limited impact at Algeciras was attributed primarily to previously announced weather-related restrictions in Campo de Gibraltar. Vessel operations had been scheduled around the strike. Some terminals maintained services or extended operating hours to accommodate cargo flows, and the spokesperson said all terminals were currently operating normally.

Spain’s logistics employers’ association, UNO, put the wider effect on Spain’s and the EU’s logistics and transport sector at limited and localised. It nevertheless identified Algeciras and Valencia as the ports facing the greatest exposure.

How far does the disruption extend?

Juan Diego Pedrero, president of the Spanish Association of Private Railway Companies, said: “I don’t have percentages, but it is undoubtedly having an impact.” Local reports suggested dozens of freight services had been cancelled. Pedrero said activity across the ports had slowed heavily, hitting rail-port traffic, particularly at Valencia and Barcelona.

Francisco Martínez, CCOO’s maritime-sector representative for vessel operations in Valencia, said: “There are no workers available, and there are no vessel operations.” His description of a labor shortage contrasts with UNO’s limited-impact assessment and the forwarder’s zero-impact account.

What does it mean for shippers and forwarders?

The commercial consequences start with cargo unable to move through the affected terminals or reach its next connection. Terminal productivity will determine the size of the delay, while any rolled cargo or revised rotation will change available capacity.

• Shippers: Boxes awaiting discharge or loading face longer vessel waits and possible disruption to planned inland rail movements.
• Forwarders: Delayed berths at a Mediterranean transhipment hub can disrupt onward vessel calls and connecting rail services.
• Carriers: Operators must decide whether to retain scheduled rotations, revise them or roll cargo as terminals recover.

No confirmed backlog tonnage or container count was available, and carrier rotation changes remained unconfirmed. The absence of those figures leaves delivery and connection planning exposed to uncertainty, particularly where local reports said freight services had been cancelled.

Separately, the Premier Alliance plans to drop two weekly calls at Algeciras in an Asia–North Europe restructuring. The reduction will narrow the hub’s scheduled vessel options, adding a separate service change to the backlog recovery.

The coming measure of recovery will be terminal productivity at Algeciras and Valencia. Faster restoration would release waiting vessels, while any carrier rotation changes would reshape sailing capacity across the network.