The shipping company Baleària It plans to build and operate the new passenger terminal in the port of València with a project that guarantees that 100% of the necessary electrical energy will be produced on-site and will be of renewable origin: photovoltaic, wind, renewable hydrogen or biofuel. According to the project submitted to the contest of the Port Authority of Valencia, the maritime station It will work with zero polluting emissions and will bet on the circular economy. This infrastructure would be aligned with the company's commitment to the United Nations' 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which it has assumed to guide its activity as a citizen company and involved in preserving the balance between economic growth, care for the environment and social welfare. The new passenger terminal, intended for both regular ferry and cruise lines, has been designed to become a benchmark for sustainability in the area around the port of València and generate added value for the seafront.
The company that aspires to be the concessionaire of the new passenger terminal will invest more than 37 million euros in the infrastructure, which will comprise some 63.000 square meters and 13.462 of water surface under concession on the former lands of the Unión Naval de Levante (UNL) , between the Poniente pier and the Espigón del Turia pier. The project elaborated by Baleària It contemplates annual traffic of 370.000 passengers in the first five years of operation (which would start in 2023), which would be around half a million in the following years, with a scheduled annual growth of 2%, according to the conservative estimate of the shipping company. The company estimates that, during the life of the operating contract, the Valencia Port Authority will collect around 70 million euros for the mandatory rates for ships, passengers and goods.
In the old UNL facilities, the terminals for regular line passengers and cruise passengers will be located, with separate and independent spaces and operations. Four docks will be enabled for ferries and cruises. A 215-meter central dock: with docking on both sides for ferries and a north dock and a south dock for cruises. All will be prepared to host ro-ro and ro-pax ships. The new infrastructure of the port of València for international passenger traffic will have two esplanades of about 15.000 and 6.000 meters for pre-boarding from the south and west accesses. The project includes an Innovation and Eco-efficiency Center and a space for cultural revitalization.
Global Ports, the partner for cruises
Cruise management will be handled by Global Ports Holding (GPH), the world's largest cruise operator, which will focus on a notable reduction in noise, in addition to recycling 100% of its waste at the biomethane plant that is It will build in that area and will also digest the ship's waste and the terminal's own waste to obtain biogas. This biofuel will feed a fleet of vehicles that will eventually be replaced by fully electric ones, rechargeable at the supply points enabled in the two car parks. There will be four times more charging points than those required by regulations.
The draft Baleària It includes the preservation of the heritage elements of that environment that stand out for their historical value, as determined by the Demetrio Ribes chair of industrial archeology. In addition to the ships, two cranes, the water tower and the bleachers of the old UNL shipyards will be preserved.
Utor: “A beacon of sustainability and designed for people”
The president of the company, Adolfo Utor, stressed that the new maritime station "will have a green heart, an intelligent spirit and will be a beacon of sustainability in the port of Valencia". "It will be a milestone for our company, a modern space, a passenger terminal aligned with the eco-efficient policy in which Baleària is immersed with its smart ships and its commitment to the SDGs." “We have opted for a rational infrastructure, designed for people, committed to proximity and to the quality of life for passengers, the city and the Nazareth neighborhood. There is no better way to generate wealth than to not compromise the well-being of future generations ”, highlights the head of Baleària.
The project also contemplates a training center of the Baleària Business School (EdEB) with offer in different areas of the maritime sector and especially directed to the Nazareth neighborhood, within an action plan to involve the main actors and interest groups.
Baleària, which is the number one shipping company in the port of Valencia in terms of volume of passengers, vehicles and ro-ro cargo, has been operating on the Turia dock since 2007 and actively participates in various environmental projects together with the port community such as the Green C. Ports, the Loop-Ports Project, Security & Protection or the Linghive 2 vessels demand: green and smart links.
It should be remembered that the company chaired by Adolfo Utor is undertaking investments of 380 million euros in the construction and re-motorization of nine ships that sail on natural gas (LNG), a fuel that reduces CO35 emissions by 2%, 85% the of Nox and eliminates 100% emissions of sulfur (Sox) and particles harmful to health. In addition, it reduces noise pollution in port stays. In 2019, it was the first shipping company to sail on natural gas in the Mediterranean, the Strait of Gibraltar and the Canary Islands.
