The Board of Directors of the Port of Barcelona has today approved awarding the construction and operation of the future cruise terminal G of the Adossat dock to Catalonia Cruise Terminal G, SL, a joint venture of Royal Caribbean Group and Cruise Terminales International, CTI.
Although it was the only proposal presented in this public tender, the project has obtained an outstanding rating from the technicians in charge of the tender, who have highlighted its commitment to sustainability, both energy and environmental, which incorporates a reserve of spaces for the OPS (onshore power supply) systems that are being installed at the Adossat dock and that will allow cruise ships to connect to the electrical grid once they are docked, thus eliminating emissions.
Catalonia Cruise Terminal G foresees an investment of more than 85 million euros and that the new terminal will be operational in the spring of 2027, once the South terminal of the World Trade Center is closed, in 2026. This is the last terminal to be installed at the Adossat dock, thereby complying with the agreements that the port of Barcelona and the City Council reached in 2018, which provide for the limitation in 7 terminals.
The design of the terminal seeks maximum energy efficiency and incorporates renewable energy solutions to minimize the impact on the environment. The project foresees electricity generated through photovoltaic panels and other types of installations, which will allow the terminal to have a balance of zero emissions into the atmosphere.
The future terminal is designed to serve and boost base port traffic, following the port of Barcelona's strategy to increase this type of traffic with more added value for the city.
The spaces of the future Terminal G have been designed to guarantee smooth passenger operations. This aspect is especially important for a terminal designed for the home port passenger, who embarks and disembarks in Barcelona, a strategy on which Royal Caribbean is betting on the Catalan capital.
The awarding of this terminal has not been an easy process for various administrative and political reasons. Terminal G was originally conceived for Royal Caribbean. Some time later, other shipping companies – Norwegian Cruise Line, Viking Ocean Cruises and Virgin Cruises – showed their interest in it, so the port held a competition to determine who would build and manage it. But it later had to withdraw the tender, after the latter denounced that the bases favored the former. All of this forced us to start the process again.
Politically, this terminal, like cruise activity in general, was opposed by the previous mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, who wanted to limit this type of tourism despite the fact that the construction of the terminal was contemplated in the agreement that she same signed in its day with the port. The current municipal government, chaired by the socialist mayor Jaume Collboni, maintains a much more open attitude to this activity, which is not exempt from controversy.
The Board of Directors of the Port of Barcelona has also approved today to start the bidding process to build a maritime moiety of breakwaters, which will form the first area where the materials from the dredging of the navigation channel that will be used for works in progress will be deposited. such as the expansion of the Adossat dock, and future ones, such as the new docking points of the Energy dock.
The breakwater will delimit a 44.7 hectare area between the South dock and the Prat dock, with a depth of up to 16 meters, in which these dredged materials will be deposited. The work also includes the provision of an esplanade dedicated to the collection and management of material.
The port of Barcelona has launched this tender after the Ministry for the Ecological Transition issued, on January 29, the favorable report of the Environmental Impact Declaration (DÍA) of the future facilities.
The base budget of the tender is 94 million euros, VAT excluded, and the execution period is 27 months.
