The management board of the Port of Barcelona in Spain has approved the awarding of the construction and operation of a future cruise terminal to a joint venture company formed by the Royal Caribbean Group and UK-based Cruise Terminals International (CTI). The winning bid submitted by Catalonia...
Train Port Barcelona, a joint venture between the Port of Barcelona and Adif with equal ownership, was officially established before a notary.
This step marks an important moment in the collaboration between both organisations to enhance the development and management of the railway logistics hub in the Barcelona metropolitan area. The aim is to bolster rail freight transport along the Mediterranean axis and its surrounding regions, as well as international routes.
The partnership’s focus...
The Port of Barcelona has installed its first Onshore Power Supply (OPS) substation as part of the Nexigen project, marking a significant step towards establishing the OPS system, which will provide electricity to container ships docked at the Spanish port, allowing them to switch off their engines and reduce emissions.
The OPS substation, assembled by PowerCon company in Denmark, consists of six modules and can connect two container vessels simultaneously. Its arrival marks a milestone for the...
https://container-news.com/port-of-barcelona-receives-first-ops-substation-for-boxships/
Container movements at the Port of Barcelona reached 3.3 million TEUs in 2023, marking a 7% decline compared to the previous year.
The decrease was primarily driven by a significant drop in transits (-20%), which are influenced by the strategic decisions of shipping companies.
Additionally, exports (-12%) experienced declines across various sectors including chemicals, capital goods, food and feed, and various manufactured products. However, imports remained nearly unchanged from 2022 (-1%),...
https://container-news.com/port-of-barcelona-handles-3-3-million-teus-in-2023/
Spain’s police have successfully executed two significant cocaine seizures from containers unloaded at the ports of Algeciras and Barcelona.
Officials from Spain’s Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency have successfully seized a staggering 8,000 kilograms of cocaine concealed within a container at the port of Algeciras.
This seizure ranks among the largest in recent years in Spain and represents a significant accomplishment despite the fact that the criminal organization implemented a...
https://container-news.com/spanish-police-seize-over-8-5-tonnes-of-cocaine-in-two-container-cases/
In 2023, the Port of Barcelona conducted 199 LNG bunkering operations, supplying a total of 143,000 m³, doubling the previous year’s figures.
The surge was attributed to normalized prices post the 2022 Ukraine conflict and the introduction of the Haugesund Knutsen bunkering barge. LNG bunkering operations tripled, elevating the Spanish port’s share of LNG bunkered to ships from 0.2% in 2021 to 5.8% in 2023. Barcelona is now a leading European port in LNG usage.
Furthermore, the commissioning of...
The ZAL Port, an intermodal logistics hub under the management of Cilsa, a joint venture between the Port of Barcelona and MERLIN Properties, is set to house Europe’s largest rooftop photovoltaic plant.
Cilsa has embarked on an ambitious project, spanning phases until 2026, to install solar panels across the majority of its existing warehouses.
A significant milestone in realizing this expansive rooftop photovoltaic plant was achieved this week as the first solar panels were successfully...
https://container-news.com/barcelonas-zal-port-to-have-europes-largest-rooftop-photovoltaic-plant/
A new direct freight rail service connects the port of Barcelona in Spain with the French cities of Toulouse and Lyon.
The container service, created by APM Terminals Railways Spain, Synergy and Naviland Cargo, will provide four weekly connections between the port of Barcelona and these southern French cities four times a week, three to Toulouse and one to Lyon.
This latest connection is direct, marking the first-ever rail service from Spain to France that eliminates the need for transshipment or...
https://container-news.com/first-direct-freight-rail-connection-between-spain-and-france/
Novarium, the Quebec-based blue economy innovation hub, announced the creation of a strategic partnership with the Port of Barcelona.
This collaboration will give companies funded by Novarium with access to the Port of Barcelona’s Blue Sandbox, enhancing the link between Quebec and Barcelona.
Furthermore, the partnership has been designed to act as a catalyst for non-dilutive investment funding from Spain’s Ports 4.0 Fund, Europe’s largest capital pool dedicated to port-based open innovation...
The port of Barcelona announced that container traffic declined by 11% to 1.6 million TEUs in the first half of the year.
Port Authority’s general manager, José Alberto Carbonell, stated that 32.5 million tonnes of goods were moved, which is 10.6% less than in the same period in 2022, “due mainly to a drop in liquid bulk and transshipment containers.”
“Dry bulk and cars are the positive side of this year’s traffic, experiencing significant growth,” noted José Alberto Carbonell.
Hinterland traffic,...
https://container-news.com/barcelona-ports-container-traffic-drops-in-2023-first-half/