Port of Barcelona approves the development of a new phase of BEST

Today the Management Board of the Port of Barcelona met and approved the next phase of development of Hutchison Ports BEST's terminal on the Prat wharf. The company will invest €60 M, with €31 M going to civil engineering works to accommodate seven more container blocks, for a capacity increase of 26%. BEST will invest the other €29 M to incorporate machinery, namely 14 automated cranes (ASC).

The works, to be carried out on the 10 hectares of land which the Port of Barcelona handed over to the Hutchison terminal a year ago, will start by 1 May 2022. On completion of the works, the concessionaire will have 34 container blocks, up from 27.

Currently BEST occupies 80 hectares of land on the Prat wharf and has 1,500 metres of wharf, with a depth at water level of 16.5 metres. The terminal has 54 automated cranes (ASC), 2 cranes at the rail terminal (RMG), 34 shuttle carriers and 13 post-panamax super dock cranes, which can operate the largest ships in the world. The first semi-automatic terminal developed by the Hutchison Ports Group will incorporate eight new ASC automated cranes to service the first four blocks that it will operationalise in late 2023. Six more ASC cranes will be incorporated subsequently.