Major investment in the Port of Barcelona: €124 million for green fuel traffic
Three new berths will be built at the Energy Dock
BarcelonaThe Port of Barcelona's board of directors approved this Wednesday the start of the process to build three new berthing points for bulk liquids on the east side of the Muelle de la Energía (Energy Dock), according to the Port Authority. The planned investment is €124 million. The investment must now receive the approval of the Council of Ministers, as the port is under the jurisdiction of Puertos del Estado (State Ports), which will put the works out to tender.
The new facilities will be similar to the current berth 34B and will be primarily used for the loading and unloading of new sustainable fuels that should enable the decarbonization of transport and logistics. The construction of these three new berthing points, as well as the expansion of the existing pit to ensure proper connection of the unloading arms to the industrial facilities operating on the Muelle de la Energía (Energy Dock), has a construction period of 38 months.
The new 34 berths at the Muelle de la Energía are needed to increase unloading capacity and organize traffic by product type at these facilities, offer better service to both ships and terminals operating in the infrastructure, and strengthen the role of the Port of Barcelona as a hub Southern Europe and the Mediterranean's energy sector. Once these berths are operational, along with the future dock-type berth 35, the current berth 32 will be remodeled. These berths will subsequently be used exclusively for the loading and unloading of bulk chemicals and liquid agri-food products. car carriers, as scheduled by the Port.
Border control
On the other hand, the Port's board of directors has decided to initiate the process of awarding the automated border control systems for €11.5 million for two years, extendable for another two years. This entails implementing the systems established in Regulation 2018/1240 of the European Parliament and of the Council of September 12, 2018, which must be implemented in all ports across the country. These systems define how entries and exits are carried out at border control and require the establishment of an electronic record of data (biometrics and fingerprints) and documentation (passport and ID) of non-EU citizens.
The approved procedure includes the supply, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of the necessary equipment; the adaptation of the spaces and infrastructure of the affected terminals in the port; as well as an auxiliary information service designed to facilitate the entry of people through the border crossing. The necessary infrastructure includes automatic doors, self-service kiosks, and monitoring and verification tablets, as well as video surveillance systems, digital signage, and elements to separate the flow of people, among others.
The successful bidder will also be required to provide the control cabins: containers equipped with EES technology and booths at the manual checkpoints. The Port of Barcelona terminals that will incorporate this border control system are cruise terminals C, E, G, and H, and the ferry terminals.