A Reencounter with History
A Coruña is one of the Spanish ports with the highest growth in cruise traffic. As early as the last decades of the 19th century, A Coruña was already one of the main ports of embarkation for emigrants bound for the New World, with regular shipping lines connecting it to the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, in competition with Vigo, Santander, and others. Following the decline in passenger traffic, cruise ships stayed away from the Galician capital for several decades, only to make a strong comeback at the end of the last century. Today, cruise lines such as Holland America Line and Hapag Lloyd—longtime clients of the port of A Coruña—have returned, along with a multitude of shipowners, to offer their cruise passengers the undeniable attractions of A Coruña.
Article fromCruisesNews magazine
Its status as the last port of call before crossing the Atlantic Ocean, combined with Galicia’s reputation as a land of emigrants, made A Coruña a very busy port for passenger traffic. However, it lacked docks capable of accommodating ships of a certain size, so transatlantic liners had to anchor offshore, which hindered port operations.
Cruise Ship Infrastructure in A Coruña
Construction of the transatlantic pier—themain facility for berthing passenger ships—began in 1923 with what was then known as the Transatlantic Pier (today’s Calvo Sotelo Pier), which extended into the bay from the old battery pier. It was designed by engineer Emilio Pan de Soraluce and completed in 1936, just as the Civil War was beginning.
The current transatlantic pier was inaugurated in May 1991. The ship that was tasked with inaugurating it was the Canberra, operated by the British shipping company P&O. This pier is 484 meters long with a draft of 11 meters, and it serves as a first-rate facility for this type of traffic, located right next to the city’s historic center.
As cruise ship traffic grew, multiple port calls became more common, leading to the use of alternative docks—rather than the Transatlantic Dock—beginning in the late 20th century whenever several passenger ships were in the city at the same time. The most frequently used docks were Calvo Sotelo Sur (420 meters of berthing length, with draft depths of 6–9 meters), Calvo Sotelo Norte (220 meters long, with draft depths of 6 to 9 meters), and Baterías (220 meters long, with draft depths of 7 to 8 meters).
A Coruña Home Port – Passenger Terminals
The Transatlantic Pier features a passenger terminallocated directly on the pier. The first terminal was inaugurated on May 5, 1998, coinciding with the first triple cruise ship call in the city’s history, featuring the Black Watch, Funchal, and Vision of the Seas—the latter on its maiden voyage. For years, that structure served as a symbol of the Transatlantic Pier’s focus on cruise shipping, until the growing number of port calls and the increasing size of the ships made it necessary to replace it with a larger facility.
In addition, on August 4, 2005, a modern 10,000m² convention center and a 12,000m² shopping center were inaugurated next to the Transatlantic Pier, based on a design by architects César Portela and Ricardo Bofill, with the aim of strengthening the service-oriented character of that area.
After the 2010 season, the original terminal was demolished to make way for the current one, which opened in the spring of 2011 following five months of construction and a budget of more than 600,000 euros, 50 percent of which was co-financed by the European Union’s Cohesion Fund.
The Port Authority has been working on several fronts: renovating its facilities, developing specific offerings, expanding the port’s international reach through contacts with major shipping lines and tour operators, strengthening its presence at the industry’s leading trade shows, and promoting the destination as one of the most attractive on the Atlantic coast.
The new terminal, designed by César Portela, is a steel-and-glass structure that blends seamlessly into the Palexco complex. It is a single-story building with a covered area of 530m² and a total floor area of 495m², with a maximum height of 4.68 meters. The building features an open-plan area for passenger boarding and transit, as well as offices for the police, customs, and other agencies, in addition to a waiting room, a tourist information desk, and restrooms. Passengers aboard the Fram were the first to use the new terminal on April 9, 2011, although the project was actually designed to accommodate cruise departures such as those operated by MSC Cruises that year. That year, the operating concession for the new Transatlantic Pier terminal was awarded to Corunna Cruise Terminal, a partnership formed by Rubine e Hijos and Pérez y Cia, two shipping agents with interests in the cruise industry. The concession was for a ten-year term, renewable, and included the embarkation and disembarkation of passengers, the loading and unloading of luggage, the provision of facilities and spaces, security, and passenger screening at the terminal, among other services.
The city’s cuisine, architectural heritage, the Atlantic landscape of urban beaches on the open sea, the galleries of the so-called “City of Glass” that welcome visitors along the waterfront, and the fishing boats visible as soon as you disembark from the ship are just some of the city’s attractions. This is made possible by the cruise terminal’s location right in the heart of the city, just steps from the Plaza Mayor and the hub of shopping and dining, as well as the historic district and the beaches. In addition, the Port Authority has committed to restoring the city’s view of the sea and bringing the waterfront closer by moving traffic underground and developing a large pedestrian walkway and plaza that directly connects the city center to the passenger pier.
A Coruña on Cruise Itineraries
A Coruña is 551 miles from Southampton. This means that after just one day at sea, a cruise ship setting sail from that British port in the afternoon can be docked in the capital of A Coruña in the early hours of the third day of the cruise. The other cruise port in the southern United Kingdom, Dover, is 639 miles from A Coruña—a 40-hour voyage at 16 knots—so the ship can also reach the Galician capital without pushing the engine too hard. If that first port of call were further south, the ship would arrive around midday, which would complicate the entire operation of optional excursions, etc.
In addition, La Coruña is 182 miles from Leixões (about 10–11 hours by boat), and Leixões is 181 miles from Lisbon, making it possible to create a very attractive route for passengers, with lower fuel costs for the shipowner.
A Coruña and Leixões have a partnership agreement to promote cruise ship traffic along the Iberian Atlantic coast.
This complementary relationship with the Port of Leixões led the Port of A Coruña and the Port Authority of Douro, Leixões, and Viana do Castelo to sign a collaboration agreement in 2015 with the goal of boosting cruise traffic to destinations along the Atlantic coast. Among the actions outlined in the agreement were the joint promotion of both ports in the cruise market, the exchange of knowledge and best practices in port management, and, in general, all initiatives that would benefit both ports.
Trends in Port Calls and Passengers in A Coruña
A Coruña has always been a port of call for cruise ships. But naturally, the sector’s growth in the city began after the Transatlantic Pier was completed in the mid-1990s, a time when the British source market was the driving force behind the sector in Europe: P&O, Fred Olsen, Saga, etc., as well as the first large cruise ships from international lines such as Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, etc. which began visiting the city during their European summer seasons.
A Coruña tops the ranking of ports along the Cantabrian-Atlantic coast in terms of both passengers and berths.
The first major jump in numbers occurred in 2001, when the number of passengers nearly tripled compared to the previous year, even though the number of port calls was lower. In 2003, there was another significant increase, partly due to the greater commitment of cruise lines such as Cunard, Fred Olsen, and P&O to the port of Santander. From 2005 to 2010, there was a gradual increase in the number of passengers, even though the number of port calls remained between 58 and 65. This was undoubtedly due to the increase in the size of cruise ships during those years, which could accommodate a larger number of tourists. The increase in 2011 compared to 2010 is partly due to the fact that MSC Cruises began boarding operations in the city that year with its ship MSC Opera, which made nine port calls. The Independence of the Seas also strengthened its presence in the city in 2011 with another nine port calls.
The lack of continuity in the itineraries in northern Spain offered by cruise lines such as MSC Cruises and Celebrity Cruises dealt a severe blow to their establishment as cruise destinations. However, this situation may change, given that, for example, MSC Cruises is returning in 2018 with cruises departing from Southampton and Hamburg.
Finally, the decline in 2014 compared to 2013 is due in part to the increase in port calls at the Port of Ferrol, which saw a 177% rise in the number of port calls during that same period (rising from 9 to 25 port calls, with approximately 20,000 passengers), to the detriment of the Port of A Coruña.
Outlook for the Future
This year, the Port of A Coruña has solidified its position as the leading cruise port in the north, with 120 port calls and more than 170,000 cruise passengers—a significant increase from 2009, when the number of passengers barely exceeded 54,000.
A Coruña is a common port of call on positioning cruises between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
This growth is the result of the A Coruña Port Authority's strong commitment to promoting this sector, which has given it a significant advantage over its closest competitors.
For example, according to the port’s website, there will be 19 port calls in the first four months of the year, six of which will be by P&O ships (whose flagship, the Britannia, will make four port calls this year), and four by the German cruise line Aida. The rest are from long-standing clients, such as Hurtigruten, with two port calls, as well as new cruise lines like Viking Ocean Cruises, which will make two port calls.
May is one of A Coruña’s busiest months thanks to transatlantic cruises and positioning voyages to Northern Europe. TUI Kreuz will call at the port with two of its ships, Mein Schiff 1 and 4, that month, as well as in August. Also this May will mark the first port call by an old acquaintance of the port, the Independence of the Seas, which previously made port calls throughout the summer of 2011 on cruises from Southampton, and which will call at A Coruña four times in 2017 as part of the twelve-night “Canaries Adventure” itinerary. Another UK-based Royal Caribbean mega-ship, the Navigator of the Seas, will also make several stops in A Coruña. Together, these two ships will bring more than 20,000 passengers to the city. That month, the docks in A Coruña will be filled with ships making the journey from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe, such as the Thomson Celebration, Costa Mágina, Marina, Silver Wind, and others.
Summer is the off-season in A Coruña, and perhaps its biggest challenge. As a result, there are only four port calls in August. What matters is that these are from new clients, such as TUI and Aida, which complement long-standing partners like RCI and P&O. P&O, in particular, has more than 20 port calls scheduled in A Coruña, including those by its flagship, the Britannia, as well as the Oriana and the Oceana.
The 2017 schedule includes more than 120 port calls and 170,000 cruise passengers, which represents a huge increase from 2009, when the number of passengers barely exceeded 54,000.
September is A Coruña’s other peak month. As the cold sets in and the days grow shorter in Northern Europe, cruise ships make their way to the Mediterranean and, to a lesser extent, to the Canary Islands. There are almost as many port calls in September as in May, although the ships don’t usually return. That month will see the arrival of the Celebrity Silhouette, Koningsdam, MSC Fantasia, and Mein Schiff 3, all bound for warmer climes.
Throughout the year, cruise lines based in the British market—such as Fred Olsen, Cruise & Maritime Voyages, and others—account for a significant number of port calls. In 2017, one of these lines, Saga Cruises—which had previously made a strong commitment to El Ferrol—returns with several port calls at the docks in A Coruña. The A Coruña terminal will host twelve double port calls and three triple port calls this year. In addition, five port calls are scheduled for ships visiting the city for the first time, including the Seven Seas Explorer, the Silver Muse, and the MSC Preciosa.
In this sector, schedules are planned two years in advance, and following the Miami trade show—which is held every March—changes to the port call structure are extremely rare, so shipping companies’ schedules generally remain unchanged.
2018 will begin with a double call on January 5: more than 4,000 passengers, mostly British, will disembark in A Coruña the day before Three Kings' Day from the Queen Elizabeth and the Oceana. Cunard and P&O are thus establishing themselves as two major future clients of the port.
May and September are the months with the highest number of stopovers in A Coruña.
But the highlight of the year will be the return of MSC Cruises’ regular cruise ships. This year, three ships from that line (Magnifica, Preziosa, and Fantasia) will call at the city, but in 2018, twelve port calls are expected, as the MSC Magnifica will make nine stops. Its itinerary will be a two-week cruise with the following route: Southampton, Le Havre, Porto, Lisbon, Cádiz, Málaga, A Coruña, Amsterdam, Hamburg, and Southampton, with the option to embark and disembark in Southampton, Amsterdam, or Hamburg. In addition, MSC Cruises’ new flagship, the MSC Meraviglia, will dock at the port of Cádiz on September 29, as part of its positioning voyage to the Mediterranean following the season in Northern Europe.
But A Coruña is also a port of call on long cruises lasting several weeks. On March 26, 2018, the Amadea, operated by the German cruise line Phoenix Reisen, will dock at the transatlantic pier during a 100-night cruise around South America. Almost just like a century ago… but with cruise passengers.
A Coruña's Strengths as a Cruise Port
• The Port Authority of A Coruña offers a pricing policy with competitive berthing rates and discounts on mooring, towing, and pilotage services.
• An attractive city with a wealth of architecture, history, and culture. Shopping in the historic center.
• Exciting optional excursions (Santiago).
• Dedicated cruise ship docks located very close to the historic center. The capacity to provide nearly one kilometer of docks capable of accommodating the largest ship currently under construction.
• A prime geographical location, halfway between destinations such as the Caribbean and Northern Europe. A must-see stop on positioning cruises.
• The ideal stopover for cruises departing from British and French ports.
• A port community dedicated to service and innovation.
Some historical events related to passenger ships in A Coruña
• April 23, 1984: The Queen Elizabeth 2’s inaugural port of call in the city. It docked at the old scrapyard pier.
• May 3, 1991: Inauguration of the transatlantic pier by the P&O ship Canberra.
• May 1995: Inaugural port of call for P&O's Oriana in A Coruña.
• August 2, 1996: The Canberra's final stop in the city.
• May 5, 1998: First triple call at the ports of Herculino: Black Watch, Funchal, and Vision of the Seas.
• November 27, 1998: The port authorities of A Coruña, Gijón, Santander, and Bilbao join forces to promote cruises through Costa Verde Cruceros.
• May 17, 2000: The P&O ship Aurora visits A Coruña during its maiden voyage. A Coruña is the first port where it makes an official stop.
• September 9, 2004: The first and only visit to date by the ocean liner Queen Mary 2 to the city.
• April 4, 2005: The Arcadia makes a technical stop in the city a few days before setting out on its maiden voyage.
• April 29, 2008: The Queen Elizabeth 2's final visit to the city.
• May 3, 2010: After several decades, Pullmantur’s Empress became the first passenger ship to embark passengers at the port of A Coruña.
• November 27, 2010: The Independence of the Seas becomes the largest passenger ship to call at A Coruña.
• May 16, 2013: The simultaneous arrival of the Independence of the Seas and the Ventura in the city made this day the one with the highest number of cruise passengers ever to disembark in the city, with 7,200 tourists.
• September 18, 2013: The first quadruple port call in the city's history: The ships Deutschland, Discovery, Funchal, and Hamburg arrived at the same time.
• May 2, 2014: For the first time in the history of the port of A Coruña, six passenger ships arrived on the same day: Delphin, Deutschland, Empress, Hamburg, Oriana, and Voyager. It was the largest group of ships to call at the port to date.
• June 11, 2015: The Anthem of the Seas becomes the largest passenger ship to date to dock at the transatlantic pier.
