On April 28, 2025, a massive and unexpected power outage hit Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France — bringing with it one of the most widespread supply chain shutdowns Europe has seen in years. While millions were left without electricity, the real chaos unfolded quietly but critically across freight networks.

Trains halted mid-journey. Trucks idled at darkened fuel stations. Cranes froze over loaded vessels. Cargo flights were grounded.

It was a sobering reminder: supply chains are only as resilient as the infrastructure powering them.

🚆 Rail Freight: A Complete Standstill

In both Spain and Portugal, rail networks shut down entirely — including freight. At 12:30 p.m. local time, electricity across the Iberian Peninsula dropped, causing trains to lose power where they stood. No freight trains departed, and any already en route were immobilized. High-speed, regional, and cargo services all ceased.

Spain’s ADIF and Portugal’s Infraestruturas de Portugal confirmed that no rail freight services resumed until the following day. While France’s domestic rail was mostly unaffected, cross-border freight traffic stopped abruptly.

The logistical ripple effect was immediate. With no rail alternatives, trucking and warehousing systems bore the brunt of the freight backlog.

Road Freight: Fuel Dry, Lights Out

Trucking companies across Iberia faced a multi-layered crisis:

• Fuel stations went offline, making refueling impossible.
• Traffic lights failed, causing gridlock in major cities.
• Highway infrastructure like toll booths and tunnels lost functionality.
• Refrigerated trucks needed emergency power to maintain cold chain integrity.

Some logistics hubs — especially in areas like Madrid, Lisbon, and Porto — suspended operations entirely. Even factories like SEAT and Stellantis in Spain had to send workers home, stalling inbound and outbound freight.

Meanwhile, trucks waiting at French border crossings were held back until Spanish and Portuguese systems stabilized, pausing cross-border supply routes.

Ports: Cranes Frozen, Cargo Delayed

Critical maritime hubs like Barcelona, Valencia, Algeciras, Lisbon, and Sines were directly impacted. When power dropped:

• Container cranes stopped mid-operation.
• Digital systems and gate controls failed.
• Reefer containers required emergency backup.
• Some cargo vessels were left waiting offshore, unable to berth.

The Port of Sines, responsible for much of Portugal’s fuel and LNG imports, had to suspend operations — affecting downstream trucking and energy logistics.

While most ports regained power by evening and resumed partial operations overnight, the lost productivity and vessel rescheduling caused a 48-hour ripple through maritime freight schedules.

Air Cargo: Grounded and Delayed

At airports like Madrid-Barajas and Lisbon, flight operations shifted to backup generators. That kept some services running — but cargo operations slowed to a crawl:

• Automated cargo loaders stopped working
• Cold storage for perishable goods was at risk
• Flight schedules were delayed by up to 40 minutes
• Some inbound cargo flights were rerouted or held

TAP Air Portugal advised passengers and shippers to stay away during the outage. It wasn’t until late evening that outbound freight operations began resuming — and even then, it was hours behind.

The Recovery and the Risk

Power was restored within hours in most areas, but freight operations took 24–48 hours to normalize.

• Trains remained suspended until the morning of April 29.
• Ports extended working hours to clear backlogs.
• Airlines rebooked delayed cargo flights into overnight slots.
• Trucking firms rushed to meet delayed delivery windows.

The incident revealed how deeply connected our logistics systems are — and how vulnerable they remain to infrastructure failure.

Key Takeaways for Freight Leaders

1. Redundancy planning is no longer optional. Power backup for warehouses, refueling points, ports, and terminals must be prioritized.
2. Real-time communication is critical. Rail operators, airports, and port authorities who communicated early and clearly minimized panic and response lag.
3. Intermodal flexibility matters. Operators with agile modal shifts (e.g., truck-to-rail or port-to-port rerouting) mitigated the worst impacts.
4. Digital resilience is key. Many freight IT systems failed without power. Ensuring data centers and platforms have uptime protections is essential.

The Iberian blackout may have been temporary, but it sent a permanent message: freight resilience must be built into every link of the chain.

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