The Port of Barcelona has agreed with the city council on a reorganization of port areas that will involve the concentration of cruise terminals and part of the ferry activity on the Adossat dock and the consequent release of spaces that are intended to be used more by citizens.
Ada Colau's government has always been very reluctant to embrace cruise tourism, which represents 2.6 million tourists compared to the more than 30 million tourists the city receives. The recent announcement by MSC Cruises to build a new terminal, in addition to the six existing ones and the one already under construction by the Carnival group, has been the final straw.
The city council's objective was to reduce maritime traffic at the docks closest to the city, and therefore, the North and South cruise terminals, which serve smaller and luxury cruise ships in the World Trade Center area, will be eliminated. The North terminal will be removed once the concession expires in 2026, and the South terminal as soon as the expansion work on the Muelle Adosado (Adosado Dock) is completed.
The Drassanes ferry terminal will also be moved to the end of the Adsado Dock.
The agreement stipulates a maximum of seven cruise terminals exclusively at the Adosado Wharf, plus the ferry terminal. This effectively expands capacity to accommodate larger ships, as the World Trade Center terminals could only handle small or medium-sized vessels. Currently, there are four terminals, with a fifth under construction. If MSC Cruises builds the sixth, there would still be room for one more.
