Cruise ships will be prohibited from docking at Barcelona’s most centrally situated port beginning October 22 in an effort to reduce pollution in the city.
All cruise ships will be compelled to dock at the city’s southern, less central port, along the Moll Adossat pier, which is currently utilized by larger cruise ships from lines like as Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and MSC Cruises.
The embargo will affect both the city’s ‘Muelle Barcelona Norte’ northern docks and the World Trade Centre region.
Tourists will no longer be able to walk from cruise ships into Barcelona’s historic center; instead, they will have to take a shuttle bus from a pier further south to get to the city.
Although the ban does not officially come into force until later this month, the last cruise ship docked at the northern port on October 3.
Lluís Salvado, president of the Port of Barcelona, labelled October 3 as a ‘historic day for the city’.
He added: ‘We are pushing the pollution away, towards the south and reducing the emissions that reach the city.’
Salvado said: ‘The closure of the Barcelona northern docks for cruise operations is a new step to comply with the agreement signed in 2018 with the Barcelona municipal government to eliminate the negative impact that this activity could produce for citizens. This is a clear demonstration that the Port of Barcelona complies with the agreement.’