Coal from the Oviedo mines is exported coastwise, and in 1904 the shipments from Aviles for the first time exceeded those from Gijon, reaching a total of more than 290,000 tons.
The estuaries of these rivers are rarely navigable, and along the entire littoral, a distance of 130 m., the only important harbours are at Gijon and Aviles.
There is no railway and the river is not navigable, but a good road runs through Tineo, Grado and the adjacent coal-fields, to the ports of Cudillero and Aviles.