The president of State Ports, José Llorca, accompanied by Arantxa Tapia, Minister of Economic Development and Infrastructure of the Basque Government, and Asier Atutxa, president of the Port Authority of Bilbao, have inaugurated the new passenger terminal of the port of Bilbao, located in the Getxo 3 cruise dock, which has entered into operation today, coinciding with the arrival of the first cruise ship of the year, the Britannia ship of the P&O Cruises shipping company.
The total investment made by the Port Authority of Bilbao amounts to approximately 6 million euros, of which 4.6 million corresponded to the building, one million to the gangway and 0.4 million to the adjacent urbanization.
- AT THE FOREFRONT OF EUROPE'S PASSENGER TERMINALS
Like major transport infrastructures (railway stations, airports, etc.), this building has been conceived as the first gateway to Bilbao, and therefore to the Basque Country.
In the architectural solutions, countless "nods" to naval architecture have been used, such as the shape of the deck supports in the form of a "V" similar to those used on the decks of old ships or the "frames" that make up the structure of the fixed walkway.
The choice of materials also prioritized functionality, durability, ease of maintenance, as well as safety itself.
- ALL THE NECESSARY SERVICES TO SERVE 150,000 PEOPLE PER YEAR
The new maritime station is located in the central area of the dock adjacent to the Algorta breakwater. The building has a rectangular floor plan measuring 57 x 28.5 meters, spread over two main levels and a mezzanine. The ground floor houses the entrances, while the passenger embarkation/disembarkation areas are located at an elevation of +6.80 meters. The mezzanine level contains various building facilities. Ships are connected to the building via fixed and mobile gangways.
The building has the necessary facilities to serve cruise passenger traffic (waiting area, check-in stations, tourist information, VIP lounge, toilets, Police/Civil Guard, boarding baggage reception, disembarkation passenger control area, etc.).
These actions aim to establish the Port of Bilbao as a home port for cruise ships, reaching a volume of 150,000 passengers per year. In fact, the outlook for 2017 is very positive, with 58 cruise ships and nearly 94,000 passengers expected to dock, representing a 14% increase in the number of cruise ships and a 10% increase in the number of passengers compared to last season.
