Boluda wins 16-year concession for Port of Barcelona's multipurpose terminal
Cubierto por 3 fuentesPublicado
- puerto de barcelonaEl Port de Barcelona adjudica a Boluda Maritime Terminals la terminal multipropósito del muelle Príncep d’Espanya
- diario del puertoPort de Barcelona adjudica a Boluda Maritime Terminals la terminal multipropósito del muelle Príncipe de España
- sea trade maritimeBoluda expands with new terminal at Barcelona port
- diario del puertoOcean Infrastructures Management asesoró a Boluda para hacerse con la terminal multipropósito de Barcelona
On September 30, the Port of Barcelona's Board of Directors approved the award to Boluda Maritime Terminals, S.A. of the public multipurpose maritime terminal located at the Príncep d'Espanya quay, following a tender launched in February. The 16-year concession covers 87,425 m² of surface area and 531 metres of quay line, and succeeds the company Sammer, S.L., whose operating contract was due to expire this year. Boluda projects annual traffic of 1,300,000 tonnes between 2028 and 2032, mainly non-containerized general cargo, although handling of containers aboard mixed vessels that cannot be worked at the existing container or ro-ro terminals has not been ruled out.
Three bids and rejected objections
Three proposals were submitted to the tender -Sammer, Boluda and Andino- with Boluda's bid achieving the highest overall score, standing out in the strategic and market model category with 13.50 out of 15 points and in sustainability with 3.80 out of 5, although it received the lowest rating in the terminal's physical layout section. In the economic proposal, Boluda offered to move 1.3 million tonnes per year, contribute 1 million euros to the Port Authority and improve the activity rate by 0.5 points, compared to the 500,000 euros offered by Andino and the lack of any contribution from Sammer. Before the award, the Board rejected objections filed by Sammer and Andino, including one from Sammer questioning the assessment of the link between Boluda and Marsa Maroc, in which the Moroccan State holds a stake, arguing that this transaction still lacked the authorization from the Spanish Council of Ministers required for foreign investments in critical infrastructure.
Investment and environmental measures
According to Sea Trade Maritime, Boluda will invest close to 45 million dollars in cargo-handling equipment, including STS cranes, reach stackers, terminal tractors and electric forklifts, as well as automated access control systems and license plate recognition. Diario del Puerto, for its part, placed the planned investment at around 39 million euros. The company also announced environmental measures such as the progressive electrification of equipment, the use of renewable energy and charging points for electric vehicles, with an estimated 70% reduction in carbon footprint compared to a conventional terminal.
Advisory support from Ocean Infrastructures Management
The consultancy firm Ocean Infrastructures Management (OIM), a subsidiary of Ocean Capital Partners, advised Boluda throughout the entire process, from when the company hired it in March 2026 until the submission of the bid, taking part in defining the strategy, the technical and administrative documentation and the project's economic-financial model. OIM had previously collaborated with Boluda Maritime Terminals on other container terminals, such as those in Santander and Cádiz.
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