The Port of Tarragona presented its new cruise project at an event at the Global Ports Holding (GPH) stand at the Seatrada Cruise Global trade show in Miami. The event, featuring the president of the Tarragona Port Authority (APT), Josep M. Cruset, and the CEO of Global Ports Holding, H. Emre Sayin, served to unveil the new partnership, initiated in March of this year, and the project for the new building at the Moll de Baleares cruise terminal, which will be operational by summer 2023.
Global Ports Holding has been awarded the contract for cruise services to Tarragona and will build a new cruise terminal at the Moll de Baleares in Port Tarragona. The agreement, signed in January 2022, formalizes Global Ports Holding's concession for 12 years to manage services for cruise passengers in Tarragona. GPH will construct an innovative, sustainable, and efficient terminal, a project that plans to invest €5.5 million in a state-of-the-art facility.
Emre Sayin stated, 'We are delighted to have been chosen as the operator of a port with such high potential. Tarragona is truly a beautiful destination with excellent connections. We look forward to highlighting its history and culture, while building a new, environmentally friendly terminal that will complement the port and the destination.'
On the other hand, Port Tarragona explained the main attractions of Tarragona and the Costa Dorada as a tourist destination and the potential of Tarragona's port facilities, including the Moll Baleares. This dock, built in just a year and a half with an investment of 30 million euros, is a multipurpose infrastructure, inaugurated last October 2021. It increases the cruise ship berthing line by 700 meters and offers much more convenient and efficient operations. This infrastructure represents a significant improvement for cruise activity, opening the door to larger cruise ships and allowing more ships to berth simultaneously (up to four cruise ships).
The president of Port Tarragona commented that "the partnership with Global Ports consolidates the cruise project in our port. Their experience and professionalism will help relaunch this activity in our city and recover pre-pandemic levels within two years. We are delighted that, from now on, Tarragona will be available to more visitors from around the world." The Port of Tarragona handled 128,000 passengers in 2019, a record figure that could not be reached in the following years, 2020 and 2021, as cruise activity ceased worldwide.
