Port of Barcelona celebrates its 150th birthday
The port of Barcelona has just celebrated its 150th anniversary. Mercè Conesa, president of the port of Barcelona, asked the state authorities of the Puertos del Estado to speed up approval of the new strategic framework of the port system. She said that this tool is "fundamental to our ability to continue creating prosperity", which is the great challenge facing ports. Moreover, she pointed out that “we need a new governance model that will allow us to have the same tools as other European ports."
Among the challenges of the day, she mentioned fast and efficient connection with the hinterland, energy transition and digital transition. While the port of Barcelona is working to create its new rail and road land accesses and launching the process for the electrification of wharves, it is a major economic driver in the region, handling "25% of Spain's maritime foreign trade and 74% of Catalonia's".
Each year, the port of Barcelona receives "more than 9,000 ships from the most far-flung places on the planet, such as Jakarta (Indonesia), Shanghai (Japan) or Veracruz (Mexico). Furthermore, there are over one hundred regular lines operated by more than 50 shipping companies that connect us with 210 ports from all the continents," the president recalled. (fd)