The Amera, with a majority of German passengers, closed the cruise season in the Port of Melilla on November 30th, and did so with excellent marks, the kind of praise given to the city by the cruise passengers: beautiful, clean, well-maintained, surprising and hospitable were some of the compliments highlighted in the local press.
Melilla received approximately 7,100 passengers in 2025 during 14 cruise ship calls, beginning in February with the arrival of the luxurious Seabourn Sojourn, followed by the Regent Seven Seas and the Oceania Marina, all high-end vessels. Throughout the year, luxury ships such as Le Dumont d'Urville and more modest vessels like the Hebridean Sky and the Marella Discovery continued to visit the port.
The bankruptcy of Alma Cruises and the cancellation of the Marella Discovery 2's stop in July due to strong winds prevented exceeding twenty cruises as planned, but despite this, 2025 closes as a record year.
Forecasts for 2026 point much higher, not in terms of port calls, which will be 16, but in terms of passengers, which will more than double: 16,100 cruise passengers. Luxury cruises like Le Champlain will return, along with relatively large ships such as the Bolette, with a capacity of 1,338 passengers, and the Spirit of Discovery, from Saga Cruises, with a capacity for 1,000 passengers.
The commercial premises remodeled by ITM Group are expected to begin operating by the end of 2026.
The figure will be even better in 2027, with 23 planned stops and 28,700 passengers, many of whom will be able to inaugurate the new cruise terminal that ITM Group will build.
Melilla is thus advancing in its plan to become a leading cruise port in North Africa, with a population that has already become accustomed to welcoming, guiding and bidding farewell to cruise passengers from all over the world, who discover with surprise all that the city has to offer: a flat and friendly urban center with many modernist buildings; an impressive fortress, Melilla la Vieja; extensive beaches and welcoming coves, caves, parks, and a gastronomy, which like the culture, enjoys contributions from both the Iberian Peninsula and Africa, making it unique.
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