The Port of Cadiz will receive for the first time on July 26th four cruise ships of almost 300 meters in length on the same day, two of more than 330 meters in length and two other ships of 270 and 294 meters in length, respectively.
The total capacity of these four cruise ships is 16,877 people, including passengers and crew, the highest ever recorded in a single day. The berthing requirements to accommodate these four vessels have led the Port Authority to implement a special operation to handle not only the cruise ships, but also to coordinate this activity with other traffic and the temporary use of the Ciudad dock.
The Aurorawill be the first ship to dock at the Ciudad pier. The second to arrive will be the Britannia, which is scheduled to dock at the Alfonso XIII pier, between bollards 4 and 23. The Disney Magicat the Reina Sofía pier, between bollards 24 and 42. Finally, the largest ship, the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. ship Independence of the Seas, measuring 339 meters in length, is scheduled to dock at the Marqués de Comillas pier, between bollards 24 and 44.
These ships will also require the following port operations: Buses will be allowed into the port area to transport passengers who have booked excursions. These buses will be parked near each ship to facilitate passenger boarding.
Once all passengers taking excursions have boarded, a shuttle bus service will begin running from the Marqués de Comillas dock to the maritime station located at the Ciudad dock, so that passengers visiting the city of Cádiz will not have to walk. This service will operate from the ship's gangway to the entrance of the maritime station, supervised by the Port Police, the Civil Guard, and the Border Police.
Later, trucks are scheduled to enter the port to remove solid and liquid waste, sludge, etc., from the ships, in compliance with the MARPOL Convention. Furthermore, in many cases, these types of ships take advantage of their stops in the port of Cádiz to take on provisions and water, so this wide range of services requires absolute coordination between the ships' agents, Port Operations, and the Port Police.
The ships will depart in the following order: The first to leave will be the Independence of the Seasthe Britannia,the Disney Magic, and the Aurora. Departures will be staggered to facilitate the various maneuvers.
