Provimar eyes Barcelona cruise terminal development

Gavin Lipsith

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The Spanish operator is keen to expand its already considerable presence at Europe's busiest passenger port

Spanish ship supplier and port shop operator Provimar has told DFNI it is hopeful of gaining space at Costa Cruises' new Barcelona terminal. Costa is in the process of selecting a developer to lease commercial space in the Eu8m ($10.4m), 5,500sq m (59,180sq ft) terminal, which is due to open in summer 2006, and Provimar hopes that it will be able to negotiate a contract with the chosen company.

Construction of the terminal will be funded entirely by Costa, which has been granted a 25-year contract to manage the facility. In 2004, Costa Cruises brought in almost 215,000 passengers to Barcelona, representing 21% of the port's traffic. It anticipates that passenger numbers will rise to about 335,000 this year.

Provimar duty-free manager Werner Muehlemann told RavenFox.com that the company was meeting with potential developers to talk about the possibility, but added that it was early in the process. "We are having meetings, but until Costa chooses a developer we will not know for sure whether we have space. With one company we are very optimistic, but with the others we will have to wait and see."

Provimar already operates nine stores at Barcelona port and is to open three more in the first quarter of the year. Barcelona is Europe's busiest passenger port and one of the 10 busiest globally.