Port Tarragona has announced that its Board of Directors approved the tender process for the award of a concession for the construction and operation of a public cruise terminal on the Balears Wharf.

The accord is based on a set of rules and conditions that will govern the public tender for the award of the concession.

This decision represents a paradigm shift in the way the Port Tarragona cruise terminal is managed and involves moving from public to concessionary management. The decision will involve the construction of a terminal of at least 5,900 sq. meters with a 12-year operating period beginning in March 2022, meaning that the 2022 cruise season will be managed by the new operator.

The period in which companies will be able to submit their bids will open before the end of 2021.

In an interview on Radio Tarragona the port’s president, Josep Maria Cruset, stated that this approval is another step forward in improving the services offered to tourists arriving in Tarragona and will offer better conditions to all actors involved in cruise operations.

The new cruise terminal will be a new reception point for passengers arriving in the city, according to a press release. The port aims to “create an innovative terminal that will become another reference for the port and the city.”

The optimization of passenger and vehicle mobility, respect for the environment and high-quality service are the announced priorities for the port. They are all actions included in the Agenda 2030 Sustainability Plan, which “must be an integral part of this new project,” the port said.