Carnival Corporation & plc officially opened its second cruise terminal at the Port of Barcelona today, with a ceremony attended by government, business and community representatives, including Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation; Julio Gómez-Pomar Rodríguez, Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport and Housing of the Ministry of Public Works; Enric Millo i Rocher, Government Delegate in Catalonia; Ricard Font i Hereu, Secretary of Infrastructure and Mobility of the Government of Catalonia; Agustí Colom, Councillor for Tourism, Commerce and Markets of the Barcelona City Council; José Llorca, President of State Ports; and Sixte Cambra, President of the Port of Barcelona.
Spanning 12,500 square meters and representing an investment of over €46 million, the Helix terminal, along with the Palacruceros terminal already operated by the company in the port, constitutes Carnival Corporation's largest combined investment in terminals in Europe. Designed by the Catalan architecture firm Batlle i Roig Arquitectura, it boasts a modern and elegant style, creating a comfortable environment and streamlining embarkation and disembarkation processes for cruise passengers. Helix will also be equipped to accommodate the arrival of the next generation of eco-friendly ships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the world's cleanest fossil fuel.
“After several years of close collaboration with our partners in Barcelona, we are delighted to unveil our state-of-the-art Helix cruise center to welcome passengers from all over the world to Europe’s finest cruise port, Barcelona,” said Giora Israel, senior vice president of global ports and destination development at Carnival Corporation.
“We have a long history of collaboration with Carnival Corporation and its cruise line brands,” said Cambra, President of the Port of Barcelona. “We appreciate their commitment to our port, our city, and our region, and we are delighted with the new Helix Cruise Center, which is already receiving amazing reviews as one of the most spectacular cruise terminals in the world. We would also like to thank Carnival Corporation for the opportunity to collaborate with them.”
AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, and P&O Cruises (UK) visit Barcelona throughout the year. Carnival Corporation expects to welcome more than one million passengers to the port in 2018, with 289 calls by 38 different ships.
The arrival of Carnival Corporation ships using liquefied natural gas (LNG) supports the pioneering Air Quality Improvement Plan proposed by the Port of Barcelona in November 2016 to effectively reduce emissions generated by port activities. Last year, Barcelona became the first cruise port in the Mediterranean with facilities to refuel cruise ships with LNG.
In addition to its pioneering LNG-powered ships, the company has been an industry leader in other environmental innovations, including the installation of high-performance exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) onboard. Currently, over 60% of Carnival Corporation's fleet is equipped with these systems. Furthermore, since the end of 2017, 40% of the fleet has been equipped with docked power generation capabilities, allowing ships to utilize alternative energy sources in port when available.
The construction of Carnival Corporation's second cruise terminal has guaranteed the creation of up to 150 local jobs. According to a 2016 study by the University of Barcelona, cruise passengers who began or ended their vacations in Barcelona spent an average of 2.8 days in the city before or after their trip and spent approximately €230 per day. An updated study indicates that cruise activity at the Port of Barcelona generates annual revenue of €790 million for Barcelona and contributes €411 million to the city's Gross Domestic Product. The study also shows that cruise activity at the port generates 6,809 jobs and has other positive effects on the local economy. The company's positive economic impact will increase with the opening of Carnival Corporation's Helix cruise center.
Carnival Corporation operates in five additional ports worldwide and at two private island destinations in the Caribbean, Princess Cays and Half Moon Cay. In total, Carnival Corporation ships visit more than 700 ports of call worldwide.
