February 9, 2026. In the midst of a global energy transformation, the Iberian Peninsula has gone from being a spectator to a key player in sustainable maritime transport. Thanks to its strategic location on major trade routes, cutting-edge infrastructure, and significant synthetic fuel production projects, the region is now leading the way in decarbonizing the sector.
The year 2025 marked a turning point: Iberia experienced the largest increase in liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering to ships recorded across the entire European port system, drastically closing the gap that separated it from the Netherlands’ dominance.
In the Peninsula’s ports, LNG bunkering to ships quadrupled in just two years, reaching 893,860 cubic meters last year, double the amount in 2024. While growth in the Netherlands remains stable, registering 989,459 cubic meters in 2025, only 2% more than the previous year.
The trends observed between 2023 and 2025 indicate that, if the current trend continues, the Iberian Peninsula is poised to become the European leader in LNG supply to ships by 2026. This progress is supported by the rapid expansion of ship-to-ship (STS) bunkering and the resilience of its distributed logistics network.
The Dutch model concentrates most of its LNG bunkering in the port of Rotterdam. In the case of the Iberian Peninsula, the strength of a system supported by multiple, rapidly growing nodes—Algeciras, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cádiz, Cartagena, Gibraltar, Huelva, Málaga, Tenerife, Sines, and Valencia—has been demonstrated. These nodes form a diversified and particularly competitive supply network for ship-to-ship operations.
This growing expectation, which is becoming more pronounced as the months go by, is what has led the Gasnam association to organize the international convention Alternative Fuels Bunkering in Iberia. Under the slogan “The future of global maritime transport is being decided in the Iberian Peninsula,” the event will take place on June 17 and 18 in Madrid, becoming a meeting point for global shipping companies, port authorities, and energy suppliers.
