The Board of Directors of the Port of Barcelona has today resumed the public tender process to award the construction and operation of the future G cruise terminal at the Adossat dock.
This tender had already been approved by the Board of Directors in November
2022, but was rejected by the same governing body of the Port Authority last March following an analysis of the tender specifications based on inquiries from interested parties. To date, two companies have expressed interest: Catalonia Cruise Terminal C, SL, part of the Royal Caribbean group; and a joint initiative by the cruise lines Norwegian Cruise Line, Viking Ocean Cruises, and Virgin Cruises.
The future Terminal G will have a concession area exceeding 54,000 m2 and a 450-meter quay line, dimensions that make it suitable for receiving cruise ships up to 400 meters in length. These characteristics are outlined in the tender specifications, which state that the winning bidder must contribute significant homeport traffic (embarkation and/or disembarkation), as this generates the most added value for the city. It is worth noting that cruise passengers based at the Port of Barcelona already account for almost 60% (58%) of the total.
Other conditions of the tender include the incorporation of significant environmental improvements, such as the use of renewable energy in the terminal and the implementation of services that facilitate sustainable passenger mobility, such as a bus service connecting the terminal with El Prat Airport or Sants Station, for example. Similarly, all ships built after 2010 will have to connect to the electrical grid once docked via the onshore power supply (OPS) systems that will be installed throughout the Adossat dock. Ships docking at this dock will also be able to refuel with liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The commissioning of Terminal G will be an important step towards completing the transfer of cruise activity to the Adossat Wharf, where all cruise terminals will be concentrated and which is further from the city. This limit of seven terminals, all located on the Adossat Wharf, is one of the points included in the agreement signed in January 2018 between the President of the Port of Barcelona and the Mayor of Barcelona, to improve the integration of the Port and the city.
