Governance and Competitive Dynamics of Spanish Ports: The Case of the Port of Tarragona and Its Relationship with Neighboring Ports

This thesis analyses the Spanish port system, with a particular focus on the Port of Tarragona, within the broader framework of governance, sustainability, and competitive dynamics in the Mediterranean. It explores the evolution of the institutional and legislative framework, the organizational model of Spanish ports, and their role in the global logistics chain, underlining the relevance of decentralization, multilevel governance, and the landlord model. The first part outlines the evolution of Spanish port governance, from the 1978 Constitution to today’s landlord model, combining Puertos del Estado with autonomous Port Authorities under EU influence. The second part focuses on the Port of Tarragona, which is specialised in bulk (energy, agri-food). Moreover, it adopts sustainability, digitalisation, and port–city integration projects. The third part compares Tarragona and Barcelona, where competition in traffic coexists with cooperation through regional strategies.