After presenting its new corporate image last July, Marina Port Vell is once again taking another step forward. On this occasion, it has announced an investment of 20 million euros to enhance the capacity of its infrastructure and the quality of its superyacht services.
The repositioning project and the associated investment plan presented by Marina Port Vell Barcelona represents a turning point towards a new contributive stage, positioning Barcelona as a destination for superyachts.
An ambitious project with institutional support
On September 15th, Marina Port Vell Barcelona presented a new investment plan at its facilities with the aim of boosting the marina’s growth and offering a greater service to superyachts.
The presentation was attended and supported by representatives of the country’s main institutions: Carlos Prieto, Subdelegado del Gobierno de España; Isidre Gavin, Secretario de Territorio y Movilidad del Departamento de la Vicepresidencia y de Políticas Digitales y Territorio of the Generalitat de Catalunya; and Xavier Marcé, Concejal de Turismo e Industrias Creativas of the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona; as well as the Port of Barcelona itself and its president, Damià Calvet, who praised the investment plan. Guided by Ignacio Erroz, general manager of Marina Port Vell, they took a tour of the marina, where he provided a detailed explanation of the remodelling project.
23 new berths, an innovative landscaping project and the creation of a new bunkering system
With the aim of improving the marina’s services and positioning itself as the main destination marina for superyachts in the Mediterranean, Marina Port Vell Barcelona will carry out remodelling work in its facilities consisting of three large-scale projects.
The first of the projects involves the rearrangement of the water sheet, covering a surface area of 8,531 square metres. These works will allow the marina to further its specialisation in superyachts with a total of 23 new berths for vessels with a length of up to 70 metres. This project will also reconfigure the position of moored vessels in order to increase the visible space of the marina basin, so that citizens passing through the area may enjoy the views offered by Barcelona’s Port Vell.
The second of the projects announced by Marina Port Vell Barcelona is a landscaping project, developed with the aim of increasing the marina’s green spaces and making it warmer and more welcoming. Thus, Marina Port Vell Barcelona joins the city’s commitment to green spaces in favour of sustainability and, with this project, aims to emulate the greenbelts that characterise large cities all over the world.
Finally, a new bunkering system will be installed at berths to reduce the risk of environmental pollution and improve the safety of the infrastructure. This involves the installation of a supply network of 510 metres of piping, which will allow the supply to vessels at the mooring point via a pumping system.
Furthermore, as part of its commitment to sustainability, Marina Port Vell Barcelona will also implement a Sustainability Plan to ensure that, in the future, Marina Port Vell continues to be a sustainable, safe, innovative marina with quality services in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, as set out in the Port of Barcelona’s Strategic Plan, and in the objectives of the city of Barcelona itself.
According to Ignacio Erroz, general manager of Marina Port Vell Barcelona, the new positioning of Marina Port Vell “will strengthen Barcelona as a yachting hub in the Mediterranean and as a benchmark destination for superyachts” and, at the same time, “will contribute to the balance and harmonisation of the diverse uses and spaces of the different docks of the port of Barcelona, specialising in offering services to large yachts”.
Marina Port Vell, Barcelona’s key asset in the promotion of the Mediterranean Blue Economy
The Blue Economy is key to the generation of wealth for local and global economies. Marina Port Vell Barcelona’s specialisation in the superyacht sector makes it an essential asset for the city of Barcelona, along with entities such as Port Vell and MB92, the leading shipyard in southern Europe.
According to data from the Barcelona Cluster Nàutic, at present, and in the city of Barcelona alone, the Blue Economy generates employment for around 15,000 people and an annual turnover of 3,750 million euros. Along its 16 kilometres of coastline, it accounts for 4.3% of the city’s GDP and 1.4% of employment. Marina Port Vell, as a contributor to this business model, and thanks to its activity, generates a direct socio-economic impact which, in 2019, contributed 180 million euros to the city’s GDP and created 3.1 jobs for each mooring operated by the marina.
Barcelona is an ideal candidate to become a benchmark for the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean, as it has the location, the assets, the knowledge and the commitment of all the institutions to achieve this. To this end, Marina Port Vell Barcelona, as a contributory and industrial player in the city and the surrounding area, has worked on a new positioning focused on further specialising in superyachts, which is associated with a firm commitment to an investment that will undoubtedly strengthen the development of the Blue Economy in the Port of Barcelona, the city and the Catalan coastline.
