Boluda Maritime Terminals will invest almost €40m to develop a multipurpose terminal at the Port of Barcelona after winning a 16-year concession at the Príncep d'Espanya wharf.

The Spanish towage and terminals group saw off two rival bids to take the concession, which becomes available when Sammer, SL's current contract expires in 2026. Barcelona launched the public tender in February. Sammer, Boluda and Andino each submitted proposals, and the port awarded the concession to Boluda after scoring it highest among the three.

What will the €40m buy?

The terminal covers 87,425sqm and includes 531m of quay. More than €28m of the investment goes to cargo-handling equipment, with around €10m allocated to upgrading facilities and operational areas.

Boluda has committed to handle at least 1.3m tonnes of cargo annually from 2028 to 2032 — a volume target that sets the commercial benchmark for the concession.

The equipment programme includes new ship-to-shore cranes, additional cranes, reachstackers, terminal tractors, electric forklifts and specialised cargo-handling platforms. Planned works also cover:

• Resurfacing, building upgrades and renewed utility networks
• Reorganised storage areas
• Automated access controls, licence plate recognition and OCR systems
• Separate routes for lorries, staff and visitors to cut waiting times

Environmental measures include progressive electrification of equipment, renewable electricity, EV charging points and on-site renewable energy generation, alongside plans to reduce water and energy consumption.

Why mixed cargo drove the award

The terminal will primarily handle non-containerised general cargo, including Ro-Ro and project cargo. Container handling has not been ruled out. The port expects demand from vessels carrying a mix of general cargo, Ro-Ro and containers — operations that Barcelona's existing specialised container and Ro-Ro terminals cannot accommodate.

That flexibility positions the new terminal to capture breakbulk and project cargo flows that currently lack a natural home in the port, while giving carriers a single berth for composite manifests.

A pattern of expansion

The Barcelona deal extends Boluda Maritime Terminals' wider investment programme. In June, the company took delivery of two STS cranes and four hybrid RTGs at its Tenerife terminal, part of more than €40m of investment in the Canary Islands.

The project also lands as Boluda advances its strategic partnership with Morocco's Marsa Maroc. In December 2025, Marsa Maroc agreed to acquire a 45% stake in BMT for €80m. The Moroccan government authorised the investment in April 2026, though Marsa Maroc's latest financial reporting indicates the transaction remains subject to completion of the required conditions precedent.

With equipment spending front-loaded and the 1.3m-tonne annual commitment kicking in from 2028, the Príncep d'Espanya terminal becomes the test of whether Boluda's expansion bet can convert concession wins into sustained cargo volumes.