MADRID: The volume of goods moving through Spanish ports rose by 6.0 per cent in 2024 after they became the first point of call in Europe for many companies avoiding attacks by Houthi militia on shipping in the Red Sea and sending their goods around southern Africa.

Las Palmas in the Canary Islands and Barcelona saw 13 per cent and 9.0 per cent increases respectively in volumes of merchandise, bulk liquids and dry bulk last year, the state port agency said on Friday.

“The situation has caused some specific peak moments of extra activity, to which Spanish ports have adapted,” the agency told Reuters, adding it expected higher port traffic to continue as instability in the Red Sea persists. Yemen’s Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023, sinking two vessels and seizing another in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.