This year 2023, 20% of the cruise ship calls at the Port of Barcelona are from ships that can be powered by LNG, ships belonging to the companies Aida, Costa, P&O and MSC.
This latest shipping company is making its debut in Barcelona with a ship of this type: the MSC World Europa.
Almost a decade ago, the Port of Barcelona opted for LNG as a transition fuel due to its advantages over traditional fuels.
Last February, the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply barge with a permanent base in Barcelona was launched , making it the first port in the Mediterranean to have this service.
In addition to these less polluting ships, 62% of the port calls will be from cruise ships less than 10 years old.
In fact, 9 of the cruise ships coming to Barcelona this year are newly built vessels making their first stop in the city.
These are the MSC World Europa, as well as Norwegian Viva, Explora I, Scenic Eclipse II, Seabourn Pursuit, Seven Seas Grandeur, Silver Nova, Viking Saturn and Vista.
58% of Cruise Home Ports
The forecast for cruise ship calls at the Port of Barcelona for 2023 remains stable in relation to the 2022 data, with around 800 calls.
Homeport cruise passengers will grow to 58% this year, a record percentage and an important milestone that can be reached once the restrictions due to the pandemic, which made it difficult for tourists from outside the European Union to arrive, have disappeared.
This is one of the strategic bets of the Port of Barcelona: to continue consolidating itself as a leading home port in the Mediterranean, gradually increasing the weight of the home cruise over the port of call cruise.
It is worth remembering that these types of passengers contribute the most added value of all cruise passengers, leaving an average expenditure in the city of 230 euros per person per day, well ahead of the average expenditure of tourists in Barcelona, which is 70 euros, according to the latest update (2018) of the report prepared by the AQR-Lab Knowledge Transfer Laboratory of the University of Barcelona (UB).
One of the notable developments this year in the area of infrastructure is the relocation, in the coming weeks, of operations from the Barcelona Nord dock to the Adossat dock, which means that cruise ships will no longer dock in this area closer to the city, in compliance with the agreement reached by the Port of Barcelona with the City Council in 2018.
Along these lines, the Port of Barcelona is working on the development of its Nexigen plan for the electrification of docks and will have the first cruise ships connected to the renewable energy electricity grid in 2026.
Seatrade Cruise Global 2023
The Port of Barcelona and its Cruise Port Community (shipping agents, terminals, suppliers, among others) are once again present at the Seatrade Cruise Global fair.
As in previous years, the Port shares a stand with the Creuers del Port de Barcelona and Carnival terminals, jointly presenting the services that Barcelona offers for cruise traffic.
The Port of Barcelona delegation at Seatrade is headed by its president, Lluís Salvadó, accompanied by the deputy general manager of Commercial and Marketing, Carla Salvadó; the head of Cruises, Mar Pérez; the cruise specialist, Lucia Garcia; the head of the Office of the President and Institutional Relations, Agustí Filomeno, and the director of Communication, Núria Burguera.
