Danish logistics company APM Terminals, operator of the south quay concession at the port of Barcelona, has announced an investment of 156 million euros as part of a plan to modernise its facilities in the Catalan capital. The first work began in August, and the contract for the first phase has now been signed with FCC. In addition to renewing machinery, the plan includes various initiatives to drive the decarbonisation of its operations.

The most ambitious part of this project will undoubtedly be the implementation of an innovative technique with which the existing caissons, which are the foundations of the quay, will be reinforced. This procedure, which has been recognised in international engineering forums, will improve the terminal’s operational capabilities without disrupting its operations and without affecting the service it provides to its customers.

State-of-the-art container ships
This initiative, which will be completed in the first phase, will serve to increase the quay’s depth to 15 metres, as well as reinforcing its foundations, piping and adapting the berthing and mooring systems to the characteristics of the new state-of-the-art container ships.

The work will be complemented by replacing the rails to accommodate the new ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, which are the largest cranes and have the most operational capacity at the port of Barcelona. Three of them are already at the terminal, and the remaining two are expected by mid-2026.

Avoiding emissions
In total, APM Terminals plans to invest over 156 million euros in the two project phases, which include infrastructure and equipment and are scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2028. The civil engineering work for the installation of the Offshore Power Supply  system, which will prevent emissions from the ships berthed at its facilities, will also be completed by then. The new quay will allow for simultaneous operation of two mega-container ships.

APM Terminals Spanish Gateways Managing Director Julián Fernández says signing the contract with FCC “represents a strategic milestone for APM Terminals and reaffirms our firm commitment to developing Barcelona’s port and to Spain’s sustainable growth as a key logistics hub in Europe. This project not only strengthens our operational capacity, but also reflects our vision for the future: a terminal ready to receive and operate two deep-sea vessels simultaneously, raising the standards of efficiency and service in the Mediterranean.”

^{Photo: APM Terminals}