In May 2023, the president of the Barcelona Port Authority established the Council for Cruise Ship Sustainability (CSC).
Article from the magazine CruisesNews No. 68 – March 2024
The Council’s objectives are to improve the transparency of cruise ship operations at the Port of Barcelona, create a forum for sharing and coordinating the various initiatives launched by different institutions, reduce the negative environmental and social impacts of cruise ships, increase the sector’s social and economic benefits for the city and its hinterland, and thereby strengthen the ties between cruise lines and the city’s business, educational, and labor sectors.
Representatives from the Barcelona City Council, the Government of Catalonia, and the Government Delegation sit at a single table alongside economic and social organizations from Barcelona. Thus, in addition to the aforementioned entities, members of the Council for Cruise Ship Sustainability include the Barcelona Provincial Council, the Maritime Authority, Barcelona Regional, the Air Route Development Committee, the Port Cruise Ship Community, and other economic and social organizations.
The Port of Barcelona aims to become a home port for cruise ships rather than just a stopover, which would increase spending per cruise passenger
The framework within which the Consell operates is the agreement between the Port of Barcelona and the Barcelona City Council dated January 19, 2018. This agreement limited the maximum number of cruise terminals to seven, which were further grouped together at Moll Adossat, thereby freeing up those located in Port Vell for public use. This strategy moved emissions away from the city and represented a firm commitment to turning Barcelona into a cruise ship homeport, encouraging shipowners to manage their own cruise terminals under concession agreements. Compliance with the agreement entails a total investment of approximately 335 million euros, of which 140 million comes from the port and 195 million from private investment.
Through this forum, the Port of Barcelona can collaborate with its partners via the working committees and the plenary session, transparently communicate the indicators related to the plan’s implementation, organize annual events on cruise ship sustainability, conduct a legal analysis of the contractual status of the various cruise-related concessions, and develop a Digital Data Platform.
Port-City Integration
That agreement comprised several phases that the Port of Barcelona is strictly adhering to and will be completed in 2026, when all cruise terminals—a maximum of seven—will be consolidated at the Muelle Adosado. Thus, in 2023, the North Terminal at Moll de Barcelona was closed, and the Balearia ferry terminal was relocated to make way for the America’s Cup bases in Port Vell—a development that has served as the perfect incentive to accelerate projects that will largely benefit the city. Terminal G (the last one under the 2018 agreement) was also put out to bid and awarded to Royal Caribbean, and work on the urban development and superstructure of the Moll Adossat—as well as Phase 4 of its expansion—has been accelerated. Construction related to the America’s Cup, which will be held next summer, is also progressing at a good pace.
Once these initiatives are completed, the Port of Barcelona will open the Barcelona Pier to the public and will continue to promote other social initiatives, such as spreading out cruise ship visits throughout the year, reducing congestion in certain areas of the city, and fostering local job creation in the cruise industry.
Barcelona: A Leading Home Port in the Mediterranean
As long as Barcelona remains a leader in the cruise industry and, unlike other Mediterranean ports, has state-of-the-art cruise terminals managed by the cruise lines themselves—which are far superior to those in other ports—it will position itself as a home port, a status that attracts cruise passengers who generate the most value for the city and for Catalonia. Thus, in 2002, nearly 40% of Barcelona’s cruise passengers embarked in the city. The commitment of cruise lines such as MSC, Costa, Royal Caribbean, and others to the Catalan capital ensures this trend will continue. Furthermore, new clients such as Viking and Virgin Cruises have also chosen Barcelona as a homeport, amid fierce competition with other Mediterranean ports such as Marseille and Civitavecchia. Cruises based in Barcelona will generate more than one million overnight stays annually and ensure spending per cruise passenger of 202 euros per person per day—more than double the spending of a tourist arriving in Barcelona by other means—while also resulting in longer stays for cruise passengers. Their total economic impact on Catalonia amounts to 1,083 million euros.
This homeport strategy has also helped the Port of Barcelona position itself as a Mediterranean leader in the supply of alternative fuels to cruise ships. The Haugesund Knutsen barge supplies LNG to Costa, Aida, and P&O ships calling at Barcelona, while several Royal Caribbean ships used biodiesel last summer. Twenty percent of the ships calling at Barcelona use LNG while docked, and 40% are equipped to draw electricity from shore power, when available.
This economic focus is complemented by the development of business relationships between Catalonia’s productive sectors and the cruise industry, which will undoubtedly lead to exciting innovation projects. It also involves diversifying the range of places to visit and activities to enjoy.
Cutting-edge environmental policy
The Nexigen project is a key initiative of the Port of Barcelona to reduce CO2 emissions from port operations by 50% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The electrification of the Port’s main docks will eliminate approximately 66,000 metric tons of CO2 and 1,234 metric tons of NOx generated by port activities. Furthermore, this project is co-financed by the Sustainable and Digital Transportation Support Program, thereby reinforcing the Port of Barcelona’s commitment to sustainability and innovation in the maritime sector. In March of this year, the first OPS substation arrived at the Port of Barcelona, specifically at a container terminal. In February, the Port of Barcelona’s Board of Directors initiated the bidding process for the construction and commissioning of the first OPS at a cruise terminal—specifically, the one to be installed at the future MSC Cruises terminal, currently under construction at Moll Adossat. This system is designed to supply electricity to docked cruise ships, allowing them to shut down their engines and, consequently, reduce emissions of polluting gases. The investment for this project totals 14,524,755.63 euros. The OPS system is expected to be fully operational by 2026, in line with the objectives of the Nexigen project.
The Council for Cruise Ship Sustainability promotes awareness of cruise ships, documents their actual impact, and enables participation in resolving the issues that arise
At the same time, the Port has awarded the contract for the construction of the underground pipelines that will connect the Energía and Adossat docks, at a cost of 14,955,143.82 euros and with a completion period of 28 months. This infrastructure, which will run 700 meters below sea level, is key to the expansion of the OPS network to Moll Adossat.
All of these actions are in line with the Port of Barcelona’s Fourth Strategic Plan. Thus, the Energy Transition Plan includes measures such as connecting docked ships to the power grid, generating electricity with solar panels, and promoting new fuels, with LNG serving as a bridge to zero-emission options such as bioLNG, methanol, ammonia, etc. Among these initiatives are the construction of a green methanol production plant—a fuel that will be used by cruise ships already under construction for Port of Barcelona clients such as Celebrity, NCL, and Explora Journeys—and, in the medium term, another plant to produce biomethane from waste.
Emissions Reduction
The Port of Barcelona is promoting a policy to encourage the use of low-emission ships (equipped with batteries or OPS connections) that have advanced wastewater treatment facilities and desalination plants. A new ordinance is being drafted to regulate the impact of ship operations on air and water quality in the port.
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a UN agency, maritime transport accounts for 3% of global CO2 emissions. Of that 3%—which includes all vessels sailing the seas—cruise ships account for 4%, representing 0.12% of global CO2 emissions.
Improving urban mobility is another of the CSC’s objectives, even though emissions from the Port of Barcelona account for only 6.9% of the measured NOx emissions in the city of Barcelona. And of that 6.9%, cruise ships account for only 10%. With regard to PMx emissions, the Port of Barcelona’s contribution is even lower—just 5.6%—of which cruise ships account for only 3.6%.
In addition, some tour operators have begun using electric buses for optional tours in Barcelona.
A Cruise Ship Community Showing Solidarity
In light of the severe drought affecting Catalonia, the cruise industry reached an agreement last February with the Port of Barcelona to refrain from taking on water supplies for the duration of the drought emergency declared by the Catalan government. This decision reaffirms the sustainability strategy regarding water consumption that the industry has been adopting in recent years, reducing consumption and increasing on-board production.
This reduces the port’s dependence on external freshwater supplies, which can then be used for other purposes. The Port of Barcelona, together with the port community and the cruise industry, has developed various water-conservation initiatives. These efforts have resulted in a significant reduction in the amount of water supplied to cruise ships in the port.
In 2022, ships took on water at fewer than 30% of their port calls, a notable decrease compared to the 50% recorded in 2017. It is worth noting that cruise ships account for only 0.09% of the city’s total water consumption.
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