The Port of Sines closed 2025 with a slowdown in activity compared to the previous year, totaling 42.1 million tons handled, which represents a drop of 12%. After a particularly strong 2024, the balance of last year is marked by several factors that, at different times, conditioned the operation and ended up being reflected in the main cargo segments.
Among the elements highlighted is the impact of adverse weather conditions, with periods in which the operation of ships was impossible or was severely limited. In total, 26 days are mentioned in which the activity suffered relevant constraints, in a situation described as atypical for the port and with direct effects on the fluidity of calls. In liquid bulk, the decline also had an industrial component. The technical stoppage at the Galp refinery, in the last quarter of the year, is indicated as one of the determining factors, contributing to a reduction of around three million tons compared to 2024. Even so, there are more favorable expectations for 2026, framed in the requalification of the terminal, with the aim of adapting it to the movement of new green fuels and, with this, increasing capacity and operational flexibility.
Containerized cargo also registered a decline. The Sines container terminal closed the year with 1.7 million TEU, 10% less than in 2024, in a performance in which labor instability is mentioned throughout 2025, although with an indication that the situation will have been overcome by the end of the year. Within the same segment, the import and export component, however, registered a growth of 4%, signaling resilience in traffic more linked to the real economy and the hinterland. In liquefied natural gas, the balance is one of continuity, with the terminal maintaining levels similar to those of the previous year and ensuring the overwhelming majority of national supply.
Altogether, 2025 ends up confirming a more demanding year for Sines, with operational, industrial and labor constraints weighing on the final result, in a context in which 2026 is seen as a turning point to recover stability and resume a growth trajectory.
