The winning company is the consulting firm Price Waterhouse and the work will have to be ready in a matter of a month and a half or two months.
The first of the 19 cruise ships that will arrive in Huelva in 2016 will arrive on Saturday, April 23.
A new railway terminal at the South Pier will also be ready by the end of the year.
The port authority signed the market research contract that will determine the viability of the maritime connection between Huelva and Cadiz on a day when we also learned that the new rail terminal at the South Dock will be ready by the end of the year, which will allow goods to be transported in containers by train.
2016 will undoubtedly be a good year for the port. Nineteen cruise ships will arrive. The first will dock next Saturday, April 23, at the South Pier with more than 800 passengers. It is the Prinsendam, from the Holland America line. It is 204 meters long and has a significant draft.
In statements to SER radio, the Port Authority President, Javier Barrero, confirmed that this was one of his first decisions as head of the entity, in response to a long-standing demand from the province. Barrero stated that the Port of Cádiz agrees with the idea, but it is Huelva that is driving it forward by funding the feasibility study. He expressed his satisfaction with the positive reception the project has received from the provincial councils and the Andalusian Regional Government. He also noted that the Huelva City Council approved a motion presented by the Mesa de la Ría (River Basin Committee) requesting this study, which is being signed today.
The port president understands that the important thing now is to find a shipping company to make the idea a reality. Talks have already begun with several of them. The firm awarded the contract for the study is the consulting firm Price Waterhouse, and the work must be completed within a month and a half to two months.
Apart from this initiative, the immediate reality of the port in terms of passenger transport could not be better.
The port authority of Huelva expects to have the new rail terminal at the South dock ready by the end of the year, which will complete the multimodal hub and improve container traffic from Huelva to the outside world.
