Geneva-based MSC Cruises has secured final approval to build and operate a cruise terminal that will feature shore power facilities and be ready for LNG bunkering operations.
This multi-year concession granted by the Port of Barcelona’s board of directors will see the construction of an “innovative” terminal of 11,670 square metres that MSC Cruises will operate and manage for a 31-year period, the cruise operator said in a statement.
MSC expects to invest about 33 million euros ($40.3 million) in the project.
Construction works should start soon and wrap up in 2024.
This project will allow MSC Cruises to consolidate its presence in Barcelona, one of the brand’s most important ports in the Western Med. In addition, it will help expand its homeporting operations out of the city.
The new terminal will also allow MSC Cruises to deploy more “next-generation, environmentally friendly” ships in Barcelona.
This includes MSC World Europa, the brand’s first LNG-powered cruise ship, which is currently under construction at French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique and due to enter service in 2022.
The cruise line has also ordered two additional LNG-powered ships at the yard in Saint-Nazaire.