The City Council and the Port of Barcelona have reached an agreement aimed at reducing cruise operations.
According to La Vanguardia, the new arrangement aims to reorganize cruise activity in Barcelona, replacing the previous agreement reached in 2018.
While the former deal limited the number of cruise terminals to seven, the new agreement will reduce the number of facilities to five.
As a result, three of the current cruise terminals on the Adossat Wharf will be demolished in the near future, the Spanish newspaper said.
A new facility designed to host a maximum of 7,000 guests per day will be built to replace the demolished terminals.
Described as state-of-the-art, the new terminal is expected to open partially in 2028.
“This new terminal is essential for the future because we want to prioritize cruises that are homeporting, meaning those that start and end their itineraries in the city, and also small-ship cruises,” said Barcelona Port’s President José Alberto Carbonell.
Barcelona’s Mayor Jaume Collboni said that the replacement of the current cruise terminals aims to “limit cruise activity and ensure that, at a minimum, it does not grow any further.”
The port is also moving forward with its plan to concentrate its cruise operations at the Adossat Wharf, which is located further away from Barcelona’s town center.
As a result, World Trade Center’s Terminal Sud will close for cruise ships at the end of 2026. WTC’s Nord terminal, which was located in front of Maremàgnum and Rambla de Mar, was closed in 2023.
The Adossat Wharf currently houses six cruise terminals, including one being built by the Royal Caribbean Group. The facility is expected to open in 2027.
MSC Cruises also recently built a cruise terminal in Barcelona, which welcomed its first ships earlier this year.
According to La Vanguardia, the terminals that are now set to be demolished were built over 50 years ago.
In addition to allowing for the new public cruise infrastructure, the demolition will facilitate a full rehabilitation of the area, the newspaper said, as well as expedite the installation of an Onshore Power Supply (OPS) system for vessels.
