The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (PAB), member of MedCruise, presented a project for the construction of a new pier at the end of the present western docks in the Port of Palma. This will provide dockage service to two ships of major length, primarily cruise ships.

The presentation was conducted by the president of the PAB, Francesc Triay, and took place in the course of a tribute to the shipping agents, for having surpassed, for the first time in history, one million cruise ship passengers in a single season and as recognition of their work in the promotion of cruise tourism at the Port of Palma. This port received, from January to November of 2007, a total of 1,043,633 cruise ship passengers, which shows an increase of the 13 percent in relation to the same period last year.

The event was also attended by the president of the Balearic Islands, Francesc Antich, who emphasized the support of the autonomic government in potentiating cruise tourism.

Dock for large cruise ships

Triay took this opportunity to present the project for the construction of a new pier at the western docks that will provide dockage for four ships of major length. This will involve the extension of the existing docks by about 50 meters and the creation of two new dockage facilities of 380 meters long and 30 meters wide, with an underwater depth of 12 meters. It is anticipated that this infrastructure will be completed during the current legislature and is budgeted at approximately 23 million euros. The construction job will be assigned by open bidding.

The extension of the pier will result in a gain of approximately 12,600m2 of surface area within the harbour zone, which is 15% with respect to the total surface area of the Port of Palma.

The extension will be constructed of spaced, prefabricated concrete boxes with a top layer of pavement to form the pier. This will allow sea water to circulate freely underneath, minimizing environmental impact.