The Port Authority of Ceuta has launched a project to improve the port for receiving cruise ships arriving in the city with the intention of receiving longer vessels and facilitating their stay at the docking point.
The Port Authority has promoted works on the Spain dock - located next to the port headquarters - understanding that the port facilities have not evolved at the same pace as the cruise ships, which has resulted in a significant decrease in the arrival of these ships to the city.
The adaptation of the dock will mean an improvement in the infrastructure by removing a number of commercial warehouses that were located in this place.
At the same time, security measures will be reinforced for the greater comfort of cruise ship passengers and megayachts that may arrive in the Ceuta autonomous region to make a stopover for several hours.
“Ceuta has always been an interesting port as a stopover area for cruise ships, not only because of Ceuta's charms but also because of the tax incentives for refueling,” said the president of the Port Authority, José Torrado.
The port official also indicated that he is working with the Autonomous City to ensure that cruise ships can be treated fiscally in the same way as merchant vessels, which will encourage the presence of this market niche by reducing the costs of their stay.
The work has begun with the demolition of some warehouses located next to the docks, which coincided with the arrival in the early hours of the morning of a megayacht that docked in the same area.
Once the works are completed, the port of Ceuta will be able to accommodate larger cruise ships and receive people arriving in the city in a more "modern and comfortable" way.
The project is divided into three phases and the entire dock will be dedicated to receiving these ships, despite the difficulty due to the importance of the surrounding ports, mainly Gibraltar and Tangier Med (Morocco).
The companies that maintain their businesses in these warehouses are being moved to another dock in the city as the intention is to leave the dock space clear, with the works expected to be completed by the end of 2016 or the beginning of 2017 with an investment of around 3 million euros.
The final phase of the project will involve the construction of new fenders and bollards on the eastern side, which is used for docking ships, which will allow the docking of ships with a greater tonnage than the current one, according to the forecasts made by the port technicians.
The Port Authority of Ceuta has closed the first eight months of the year with only one port call, which represents a decrease of more than 80 percent compared to last year, being one of the lowest figures in recent years.
Ceuta experienced its cruise boom in 2008 with 25 calls after the 20 calls in 2007, going to 10 calls in 2009, 8 in 2010, 6 in 2011, another 7 calls in 2012 until reaching four and three in the last two years.
