​Chairman of Puertos del Estado and chairman of Tarragona Port Authority discuss the Port's strategic projects

• Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena met with the port community during his visit to the Port of Tarragona

11/02/2022 – The chairman of State-Owned Enterprise Puertos del Estado, Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena, visited the Port of Tarragona today. His meeting with the chairman of the Port of Tarragona, Josep M. Cruset, and other Port Authority officials focused on the Port's strategic projects. The day also included a discussion with members of the Tarragona port community on the current state and future prospects of the port system.

The visit began with a working meeting with Tarragona Port Authority's Board of Directors, which served to present the implementation status of the projects being developed by the Port. Under the motto 'Horizon 2023,' these investments are intended to promote the Port's growth and increase its traffic and competitiveness. Cruset said that 'the deployment of "Horizon 2023" will involve the implementation of several investments in 2023 and early 2024, both by the Port and by outside parties. These investments will lay a solid foundation for the growth of port activity, local economy and employment'.

On the one hand, the opening of the Mediterranean Corridor railway will make the Port the Iberian Peninsula's southernmost point connected to Europe via standard-gauge rail. Almost at the same time, the coming into operation of the Lilla tunnel on the A-27 will improve the time and efficiency of road connections with the Port's hinterland. On the other hand, work is underway in Tarragona on three major infrastructures that will lead to an increase in port traffic, particularly general goods traffic, and will contribute to the economic recovery of the province.

Port Tarragona is creating a Logistics Activities Zone that represents an investment of more than 30 million euros over the next few years. The aim is to develop a port area of close to one million square metres, ready to receive private investments in high added-value logistics activities. Meanwhile, the Port is investing 15 million euros in the construction of a new intermodal terminal in Guadalajara-Marchamalo, only 60 km from Madrid, which is directly connected to the Port's intermodal terminal – La Boella. The concession of this new terminal will involve a private investment of more than 20 million euros (and another 5 million euros of public investment). This will enable the expansion, modernisation and operation of an infrastructure that is expected to contribute to the growth of general freight traffic and rail transport.

Following the presentation by the chairman of Port Tarragona, the chairman of Puertos del Estado told Port Authority officials that '2022 will be a key year for the Spanish port system; we have important tasks ahead to ensure that our ports are more and better connected, secure, intelligent, sustainable, and competitive infrastructures'.

• MEETING WITH THE PORT COMMUNITY
  
   
  
  After signing the Port Authority's Guest Book, the chairman of Puertos del Estado met with more than 40 members of the local port community. The meeting with representatives of companies involved in the various sectors of the logistics chain was an opportunity to share different points of view on the current state of the Spanish port system. The companies that operate in Port Tarragona expressed their commitment to working with the Port Authority in this new period of growth, with new investments and new business opportunities.
  
   
  
  According to Rodríguez Dapena, 'public-private partnerships are key to achieving economic, social and environmental objectives, and Port Tarragona is a prime example of that strategy'. The chairman of Puertos del Estado also urged the industry representatives to 'take advantage of the business opportunities that port infrastructures will offer in the coming years with the implementation of digitalisation, innovation, and sustainability-related projects'.
  
   

• TOUR BY SEA
  
   
  
  The chairman of Puertos del Estado concluded his visit with a tour of the docks at Port Tarragona by sea. One of the most interesting parts of the tour was the new Moll de Balears, with a 700-metre mooring line and an area of 40,000 square metres. This new dock will soon receive a private investment of 5.5 million euros from Global Ports with the construction of a new cruise terminal. Port Tarragona anticipates recovering 2019 passenger figures – around 130,000 cruise passengers annually – in the next two or three years.