Spain has 5,880 kilometres of coastline, 24% of which is made up of beaches and state land of approximately 13,560 hectares.

Maritime traffic is the most heavily used transportation system for import-export commercial operations to and from Spain. In 1991, the ports handling the greatest amount of total traffic were:

• Bilbao (32.7 million tons)
• Algeciras-La Linea (29.6)
• Tarragona (24.3)
• Barcelona (18.7)

The maritime company TRANSMEDITERRANEA, specialised in passengers, is state-operated and links the peninsula with the Balearic Isles, the Canary Islands and Northern Africa. There are also private companies based at specific points along the coast that are specialised in short routes.

TRANSMEDITERRANEA operates year-round, with daily service to the Balearic Isles and Northern Africa. Service to the Canary Islands is weekly.

The most important ports in Spain for passengers are those of Barcelona, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Cadiz, Las Palmas in Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

The main office of Transmediterranea is at:

     Calle Pedro Munoz Seca, 2
     28001 MADRID (Spain)
     Phone Number: 011 34 1 431-0700