A series of strong thunderstorms fuelled by moist easterly winds from the warm Mediterranean brought high rainfall volumes to the provinces of Valencia and Andalusia in eastern and southern Spain from October 29-31. Flash floods and overflown rivers had catastrophic impacts on both provinces, particularly in eastern Valencia. Rainfall totals up to 200-300mm were reported just inland from the city of Valencia, some of which fell within just several hours. Given the area’s terrain, extreme overland and river and creek flooding occurred. 153 fatalities have been reported from the flooding, and widespread production and logistics impacts have resulted.
Widespread production impacts reported around eastern Valencia
The most severe damage from the floods has occurred south and west of the city of Valencia, which is the largest industrial hub in the Valencian Community and home to the Port of Valencia. Roughly 40,000 customers remain without power in this area. The Valencian Community is a key industrial region and houses an estimated 8% of Spain’s automotive and metal manufacturers, 14% of domestic chemical manufacturers, and a further 11% of plastics makers. The region is also an important agricultural centre accounting for around two-thirds of national citrus fruit production and 13% of the country’s national agricultural exports.
Everstream Analytics has identified production stoppages at companies and major industrial parks located in and around the city of Valencia. For example, Ford Motor has suspended production until November 11 and announced a force majeure at its Almussafes automotive plant due to floods that have affected the roadways and municipalities around the site. Production halts have also been reported at automotive trim maker Antolin Autotrim and adhesives manufacturer Unecol Adhesive Ideas located at the adjacent Juan Carlos I Industrial Park.
The Park appears to be home to several more automotive component manufacturers that supply Ford’s Almussafes plant flooding at the site could further delay resumption plans at the site. Other automotive makers that have reported stoppages because of the ongoing flooding in Valencia include OEMs Volkswagen and Renault, which have announced planned suspensions at their plants in Navarra and Valladolid respectively due to supply disruptions.
In addition to the automotive industry, the floods also appear to have halted operations at several food processing companies around Valencia including meat processors Dolz Espana and Campofrio and vegetable product manufacturer, Verdifresh. Additional food manufacturers in the area could face prolonged disruptions as ongoing power outages and logistics challenges will likely complicate production resumption and may lead to losses of perishable products. Spain is also at risk of agricultural supply shortages in the coming months due to the crop damages anticipated from the flooding. The Valencia region, home to roughly two-third of Spain’s citrus fruit production, was already experiencing its driest hydrological year on record prior to the floods. Extreme changes in water saturation have the potential to not only damage crops but deteriorate nutritional soil values in a way that could lead to losses in future harvests. Agricultural products including citrus fruits, persimmons, avocados, and almonds are at an increased risk of shortages in the coming months.
The ongoing floods have also impacted several major logistics hubs around Valencia that are home to warehousing and logistics companies. Examples of impacted logistics hubs in the region include the Valencia Logistics Park, the Sector 13 Industrial Area, and the Del Oliveral Industrial Park.
Prolonged logistics disruptions expected due to inaccessible roads
Widespread logistics disruptions have also been reported, starting with the suspension of maritime traffic and admissions of empty containers at the Port of Valencia on October 29. Though maritime traffic and the CSP, MSCT, and APM Terminals at the port have resumed operations as of November 1, staff shortages are likely to prolong impacts to cargo processing operations given the access difficulties due to road closures. Further, transporters will likely experience the same access difficulties, making it challenging or nearly impossible to transport cargo to and from port terminals. Valencia is Spain’s top port for container traffic and Europe’s fourth-ranked port for number of TEUs handled annually. Further, the Port of Valencia is a critical export location for citrus products from the nearby growing region. Given its strategic importance, any disruption to port operations is likely to lead to cargo backlogs and delivery delays that will persist beyond the duration of the adverse weather. In the case of citrus exports, any disruptions to export continuity will have disproportionate impacts given their perishable nature and the concurrent crop losses anticipated from flood damage.
Authorities have closed over 120 roadways in southern, central, and eastern Spain due to passage difficulties and safety concerns from fallen debris, landslides, mudslides, and road damage. This includes disruptions in and around the cities of Valencia, Castellón, Cuenca, Cádiz, Málaga, Granada, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Sustained road closures include the A-7 in Masía del Juez and Sagunto, the A-3 in Cuenca at Atalaya del Cañavate and Minglanilla, the A-2 in Ariza, the A-23 in Teruel, the A-35 in Albacete at the height of Almansa, the AP-7 in Carrascalet, the N-III in Villar de Olmos, Utiel and Siete Aguas, the V-30, V-31, and CV-36 in Horno de Alcedo, the CV-33 in Torrent, the CV-50 in Chiva, Turís and Llombay, the CV-35 in Titaguas, and the A-3 and A-7 at multiple points in Valencia. Railway delays and disruptions have also been reported with the four-day closure of Renfe’s Zaragoza-Teruel-Valencia corridor from October 30. Renfe Mercancías, also known as Renfe Freight, is Spain’s leading rail freight operator, transporting an estimated 18 million tons of cargo annually. The affected line connects two of Spain’s major urban centers and as such, is an important route for both passenger and freight operations. Further projected rainfall on November 1 is likely to prolong the railway disruptions beyond the initial four-day closure period as it will interrupt recovery services.
Everstream clients are receiving more detailed insights and recommendations about this risk.
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