The president of the Portuguese port authority received the delegation from A Coruña, who visited the new cruise terminal, as well as security facilities, access points, and other amenities.
This meeting continues the negotiations initiated by the mayor of A Coruña, which led to this collaborative agreement.
The president of the Port Authority of A Coruña, Enrique Losada, led the delegation that visited the Port of Porto, touring the facilities to learn about its amenities and services, as well as existing infrastructure and ongoing projects, such as the new cruise terminal. This visit marks another step in the series of meetings with the president of the Port of Leixões-Porto, Emilio Brogueira Dias, which began with the mayor of A Coruña, Carlos Negreira, during his trip to the Portuguese city last year. That trip initiated the process that will culminate in the signing of a collaboration agreement to promote joint initiatives for the development and promotion of port traffic through cooperation between the two ports.
The president of the Port of Porto recently visited the port of A Coruña, where he toured both the Punta Langosteira facilities and the inner harbor, specifically the facilities dedicated to cruise ship traffic. Among the many shared interests between A Coruña and Leixões, the cruise sector stands out, and both ports are engaged in an ambitious growth and development process with the aim of consolidating their position as leading Atlantic destinations.
This time, the delegation from A Coruña traveled to Porto to learn more about its facilities and continue developing the avenues of collaboration that will be included in the agreement that both ports will sign in the coming days. In Leixões, they were received by the port's management team, who accompanied the A Coruña delegation during their visit to the new cruise terminal, whose construction is nearing completion, as well as other key areas of the port, such as security facilities, access controls, and infrastructure for port operations in general, concessions, and the logistics platform.
Following this visit, the design of the collaboration protocol between the two entities will be finalized. This protocol aims to share experiences, know-how, and synergies to advance the development of cruise traffic in the Atlantic market and formalize the cooperation framework between two strategic allies that have grown significantly in recent years. Currently, the port facilities of Porto are considered the second largest in Portugal, with traffic averaging around 80 calls and 85,000 passengers. As for A Coruña, it has consolidated its leading position on the Cantabrian-Atlantic coast in terms of the number of calls, reaching around 100 in the last two years, and is expected to maintain the 130,000 passengers achieved last year in 2015, following the remarkable growth of the previous five years.
As he has stated on previous occasions, in his meeting with Emilio Brogueira, the president of the Port Authority of A Coruña emphasized the strategic importance of the alliance with the Port of Porto, adding that it will be a catalyst for continued growth and a united front among Atlantic ports, consolidating their position as an alternative to Mediterranean routes. The goal of both ports is to increase the flow of international cruise passengers, which will contribute to reducing the seasonality of tourism and boosting the local economies of both cities, which are already very well positioned as tourist destinations in their respective countries.
