The Board of Directors of the Port of Barcelona yesterday approved the concession to Baleària to build and operate its own ferry terminal on the Adosado dock. It will be an area of 75,250 square meters, with four simultaneous berths for ro-ro vessels, a 5,600 m² terminal building, and an investment of 25.3 million euros.
For the first time in its 23-year history in the city, the Dénia shipping company will concentrate all its operations in a single space where the message of "modern, efficient, and with a clear sustainable vocation" will be fulfilled with the project that the company presented to the port authority at the end of 2024.
The news actually closes a circle that began almost 23 years ago, on June 1, 2003. That day, the Ramon Llull, a monohull fast ferry fresh out of an Italian shipyard, crossed the northern entrance of the port of Barcelona for the first time. Back then, it was still called the "new entrance," as it had only been in operation for two years and had clearly improved maritime traffic, taking the largest and purely industrial vessels to the south.
"He who was the challenger now aspires to become the great player in short sea shipping in Spain"The landscape was different. The heliport did not exist, the silhouette of the W Hotel was just a sketch, and the America's Cup had not yet transformed the seafront. The Ramón Llull, originally designed to maneuver in the historic port of Ciutadella, docked in Drassanes. Suddenly, the enormous blue letters of Baleària became visible from the Rambla de Mar and the Maremàgnum.
A young shipping company arrived, with a Dianense accent and ambition. Facing it was the almighty Trasmediterránea, which had operated in Barcelona since 1917 and had its own terminal in the Sant Bertran dock. The turns of the maritime sector are eloquent: this same year Baleària awaits the definitive resolution from the CNMC to close the purchase of part of Armas Trasmediterránea's assets: 15 vessels and operations in the Canary Islands, the Alboran Sea, and the Strait. The former challenger now aspires to become the major player in short sea shipping in Spain.
The Ramón Llull was just the beginning. Later came other ferries, such as the veteran Isla de Botafoc, inherited from Umafisa, the modern Alhucemas, Abel Matutes and, above all, the Martín i Soler, which turned the Barcelona–Alcúdia–Ciutadella–Alcúdia–Barcelona line into a kind of almost continuous maritime bus.
Drassanes functioned as a privileged showcase: Baleària's large "banner" with the shipping company's letters painted on both sides of the hull, dominated the tourist maritime facade. This great visibility had an operational counterpart. The rest of the fleet had to be distributed among different points of the port: some vessels at the Adosado dock, and even at the industrial Lepanto dock, far from the passenger terminals. Each day involved managing fragmented logistics.
"The new terminal will begin partial operation in February 2027"
What changes
The new terminal, concessioned for 27 renewable years, will begin partial operations in February 2027, with a first phase of 38,000 m², and will reach its definitive configuration by the end of 2029. It will allow up to four passenger and ro-ro cargo vessels to operate simultaneously and will feature waiting areas for trucks and cars, parking, taxi and bus stops, boarding gangways, and state-of-the-art systems.Among them, the onshore power supply (OPS) stands out, which will allow vessels to connect to the electrical grid in port and turn off their auxiliary engines, reducing emissions. The installation will be completed with its own photovoltaic panels, reinforcing the project's sustainable approach.
From Barcelona, Baleària currently maintains daily connections with Alcúdia and Palma de Mallorca, Ciutadella, Ibiza and, on the other side of the Mediterranean, with Oran and Algiers. For both the port and the shipping company, the new terminal is not only a logistical improvement but the definitive consolidation of Barcelona as one of its strategic hubs.
The president of the Port de Barcelona, José Alberto Carbonell, summarized it as "a sign of confidence in solid projects that add value to the country and to maritime mobility." For his part, the president of Baleària, Adolfo Utor, highlighted the operational impact: "Finally, we will be able to concentrate all our operations in a single space, gaining in efficiency, reliability and quality of service."
After more than two decades docking here and there, Baleària will finally have its own home in the Port de Barcelona. And this time it will not just be a stopover point: it will be a terminal designed to its measure, conceived to grow with it and even reach the Balearic Islands sooner, as it is at the southern end of the attached area, a few miles closer to Menorca, Mallorca or Ibiza than the famous Drassanes mooring.