18 DIARIO DEL PUERTO MARTES 19 MAYO 2026 Spani sh Gateways , and Boluda Maritime Terminals, point to a common conclusion: volatility is here to stay and demands a fundamental shift in howweoperate, invest, andplan. Uncertainty Oneof thepointsmost frequently raised by the operators surveyed is that geopolitics has ceased to be an occasional external factor and has instead become a structural determinant of the business. ANESCO Secretary General José Luis Romero told Diario de Puerto that international conflicts have a direct impact on shipping routes: “The conflict in theMiddle East is causing significant uncertainty in maritime traffic, not only in the Persian Gulf but globally.” This situation has had immediate consequences, such as route diversions, longer transit times, and increased logistics costs. The reference to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea crisis illustrates this. For months, many shipping companies chose to sail around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope, which “significantly lengthened transit times and sent maritime transport costs skyrocketing.” Forhispart,JuliánFernández, CEO of APMTerminals Spanish Gateways, points to a more profound shift in the nature of the market. “We are living inan environment of structural volatility that has forced the entire supply chaintoevolve,”hesays, “because ratherthansharpdrops intraffic, what we are seeing is a constant reconfigurationof flows.” Along the same lines,Miguel Marín, Sales and Marketing Manager atCSPSpain, emphasizes the need to stay aheadof the curve in an environment marked by “a constant succession of disruptions, frompandemics to geopolitical conflicts and trade tensions.” The company acknowledges that developments suchas instability intheRedSea or tariffpolicies require logistics chains to adapt in real time. Gonzalo CaleroGómez, CEO of Boluda Maritime Terminals, notes that, although his companyhasnotobservedanysignificant declines incargovolumes, it has noticed “certain isolated disruptions in traffic resulting from changes in shipping routes, adjustments to port calls, andgreatervolatility inshipping companies’ scheduling.” Overall, themessage is clear: terminals no longer operate in a predictable environment. Longterm planning is influenced by external factors thataredifficult tocontrol,which increaseoperational and financial complexity. Adaptation and resilience Given this situation, adaptability has become the terminals’ greatest asset. ANESCO notes that stevedoring companies have developed a “need for maximumflexibilityandcompetitive adaptability.” And this flexibility translates into the ability to manage peaks in activity, route changes, or external incidents without compromising operations. Oneexampleof this,Romero notes, is the response to recent critical situations: “Spanish terminals have demonstrated an extraordinary ability to adapt, Gonzalo Calero Gómez, CEO de Boluda Maritime Terminals, por su parte, menciona que, pese a no haber detectado en su caso caídas estructurales de los flujos de carga, sí hanpercibido “ciertas alteraciones puntuales en los tráficos, derivadas de cambios en rutasmarítimas, ajustesenlasescalas y unamayor volatilidad en la planificación de las navieras”. En conjunto, el mensaje es unánime: las terminales ya no operan en un entorno predecible. Laplanificacióna largoplazo se ve condicionada por factores externos difíciles de controlar, lo que incrementa la complejidad operativa y financiera. Adaptación y resiliencia Ante este escenario, la capacidad de adaptación se ha convertido en el principal activo de las terminales. En ANESCO se destaca que las empresas estibadoras han desarrollado una “necesidad de máxima flexibilidad y adaptabilidad competitiva”. Y esta flexibilidad se traduce en la capacidad de gestionar picos de actividad, cambios de rutas o incidencias externas sincomprometer la operativa. Un ejemplo de ello, apunta Romero, es la respuesta ante situaciones críticas recientes: “Las terminalesespañolashandemostrado una capacidad de adaptación extraordinaria, sabiendo gestionar conéxitovolúmenesde carga cada vez mayores en situacionescríticascomofue lapandemia o el apagóndel pasado abril”. DesdeAPMTerminals, el foco se pone en la colaboración como elemento clave. “La resilienciano es un logro individual, sino el resultadodeuna comunidad logística integrada y alineada”, indica Fernández, ya que la coordinación con autoridades portuarias, clientes y otros actores de la cadenaes fundamental paragarantizar la continuidad del servicio. CSPSpain,porsuparte,apuesta por un modelo integrado que combina terminales marítimas, ferroviarias y operadores propios. Este enfoque permite “redirigir flujosdecargadeformaeficientey ofrecersolucionespuertaapuerta adaptadasadistintos escenarios”. Terminals no longer operate in a predictable environment, and long-term planning is influenced by external factors that are difficult to control La volatilidad es una nueva realidad y exige un cambio profundo en la forma de operar, invertir y planificar. / Volatility is the new normal and calls for a fundamental shift in the way we operate, invest, and plan.
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