Italian ferry company Grimaldi invests €20 million in its new terminal in Barcelona Port

Barcelona (ACN).- Grimaldi is building the new short-distance terminal in Barcelona Port, which should be ready by next summer, after having invested €20 million. The agreement foresees that the Italian company will be running the new terminal for a 15-year period, which has the possibility to be extended by a further seven and a half years. Grimaldi wants to strengthen its presence in the Catalan capital, from where it currently runs four regular ferry lines, linking Barcelona to Civitavecchia (Rome), Livorno (Florence), Porto Torres (Sardinia) and Tanger (Morocco) all in around 20 hours. With the new infrastructure, the company wants to offer better service to its clients. It will be able to serve 1,800 passengers and it will cover 3,750 m² and have three stories and three boarding bridges for access to the ships. In addition, it will be surrounded by a large esplanade where cars can wait before they board the ferries. The Catalan Minister for Transport, Santi Vila, praised the importance of setting up cooperative agreements between the public and private sectors in order to overcome the current economic crisis.

On Monday afternoon, the Catalan Minister for Territory and Sustainability, Santi Vila, in charge of Transport and Mobility, chaired the new terminal’s first-stone placing ceremony. Grimaldi is building the new building as part of the agreement that it will run the facility for 15 years, which could be extended for a further 7.5 years. The Italian company is assuming the costs of €20 million. In the ceremony, Vila praised the “vitality” of the Barcelona Port, which is the world’s fourth largest cruise ship harbour after the three main ones which are all in Florida. Furthermore, Barcelona’s port is one of the main passenger harbours at a world level. This claim is strengthened by the new terminal and Grimaldi’s investment. In this sense, Vila also emphasised the importance of setting up cooperative agreements between the public and private sectors. In addition, Vila stated that this investment “should work as a model” for governments to plan new infrastructures in order to follow certain criteria of economic and social profitability.

The President of Barcelona Port, Sixte Cambra, recognised that “thankfully” the Catalan harbour continues to attract foreign private investment, in many different business areas. Grimaldi’s investment will be “useful to strengthen Barcelona’s short sea shipping”, which is short-distance sea transport. According to Cambra, “this is strategic traffic” to foster the Mediterranean hinterland and the connection with key markets such as Italy and Northern Africa.

The new terminal will work to serve Grimaldi’s passenger and good transportation services. It will be located on the Costa dike, in front of Montjuic and the large cruise ship terminals. It will expand the port’s area for passenger ships. The building will also host Grimaldi’s offices in Barcelona, which will occupy 1,000 m². Furthermore, the terminal will also have a large conference room, a restaurant and 350 m² for shops.