Morocco Becomes Spain’s Top Importer of Oil Products in August

Morocco Becomes Leading Destination for Spanish Oil Exports in August 2026

In August 2026, Morocco rose to the forefront as the top destination for Spanish oil product exports, with a volume of 271,000 tons, according to data from the Corporation of Strategic Petroleum Reserves (CORES), the Spanish public agency responsible for monitoring oil supply.

This quantity accounts for nearly 16% of the total 1.698 million tons of petroleum products exported by Spain to foreign markets during that month. Morocco surpassed France, which received 207,000 tons, and Portugal, with 186,000 tons.

This performance underscores the significance of the Moroccan market for Spanish hydrocarbon exporters, particularly as there has been a monthly increase in deliveries, especially those of diesel.

Spanish Exports to Morocco Jump by 50.6%

Spanish shipments of oil products to Morocco increased by 50.6% from July to August 2026, rising from 180,000 tons to 271,000 tons—an additional 91,000 tons within just one month.

The volume recorded in August represents the highest monthly figure since the beginning of the year, exceeding the 234,000 tons recorded in February and 229,000 tons in April.

Diesel is particularly prominent in these exchanges. With 161,000 tons delivered to Morocco, it constitutes 59.4% of the total petroleum products shipped to the Kingdom during the month.

Morocco alone absorbed 24.2% of the 666,000 tons of diesel exported by Spain to all destinations in August. France followed far behind, receiving 108,000 tons, while Portugal took in 94,000 tons.

Diesel Deliveries Surge by 94% in One Month

The significant increase in diesel explains much of the monthly rise in Spanish exports to Morocco. Volumes surged from 83,000 tons in July to 161,000 tons in August, marking a jump of 78,000 tons, or 94%.

Other oil products exported to the Kingdom included 38,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas, 18,000 tons of gasoline, 6,000 tons of kerosene, 12,000 tons of fuel oil, and 36,000 tons of other petroleum products.

CORES statistics also include biofuels in the gasoline and diesel categories.

This trend reflects a notably strong demand for Spanish diesel in Morocco during August, even though total volumes remain lower than those recorded a year prior.

Annual Decrease Despite Rising Diesel

In August 2025, Spanish exports of petroleum products to Morocco reached 281,000 tons, compared to 271,000 tons in August 2026. This overall volume represents a year-on-year decrease of 3.6%.

However, this decline masks contrasting developments among product categories. Diesel shipments soared by 43.8%, increasing from 112,000 tons to 161,000 tons.

Conversely, gasoline exports fell from 49,000 tons to 18,000 tons. Liquefied petroleum gas volumes decreased from 44,000 tons to 38,000 tons, while kerosene deliveries dropped from 17,000 tons to 6,000 tons and fuel oil from 24,000 tons to 12,000 tons.

Other petroleum products experienced a slight increase, rising from 35,000 tons to 36,000 tons.

Despite the overall decrease in volume, Morocco’s share of Spanish petroleum product exports rose from 13.7% in August 2025 to nearly 16% in August 2026, gaining 2.3 percentage points.

This shift is partly attributed to a decline in Spanish exports to all destinations, with the total volume falling from 2.050 million tons in August 2025 to 1.698 million tons a year later—a drop of 17.2%.

In August 2025, the United States held the top position for destinations of Spanish petroleum products, with 294,000 tons, followed by Morocco at 281,000 tons.

Morocco Remains Spain’s Top Market After Eight Months

During the first eight months of 2026, Spanish exports of petroleum products to Morocco totaled approximately 1.666 million tons, according to monthly volumes reported by CORES. This figure remains lower than the 2.048 million tons recorded in the same period of 2025, reflecting a decrease of 382,000 tons or 18.7%.

Despite this decline, Morocco retained its status as the primary market for Spanish petroleum products during the specified period, surpassing Portugal, which received 1.581 million tons, and France, with 1.379 million tons.

Monthly volumes destined for the Moroccan market have fluctuated since the beginning of the year: 141,000 tons in January, 234,000 in February, 217,000 in March, 229,000 in April, 175,000 in May, 219,000 in June, 180,000 in July, and 271,000 in August.

For diesel alone, exports to Morocco reached 786,000 tons from January to August 2026, compared to 927,000 tons during the same period the previous year, marking a decrease of 15.2%.

Spanish Oil Product Exports Continue to Decline

On an international scale, Spain exported 12.156 million tons of petroleum products between January and August 2026, down from 13.970 million tons in the first eight months of 2025. This change reflects a 13% decrease.

In this context, Morocco’s share of total Spanish exports has dropped from 14.7% to 13.7%, despite its leading position in volume.

Data published by CORES covers quantities exported by product category and destination country. However, it does not provide any details regarding the monetary value of the transactions, the identity of the receiving companies, or the ports of unloading.

These figures highlight the importance of energy exchanges between Spain and Morocco while emphasizing the need to differentiate the temporary spike observed in August from the overall trend recorded since the beginning of the year.