The Port of Barcelona Management Board awarded Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, known as NYK, a 27-year concession for a new car terminal at Príncep d'Espanya wharf on Wednesday 30 September. The €75 million facility is due to open in early 2027, creating the port's third terminal for vehicle traffic for car importers, exporters and logistics operators.

The terminal will occupy 101,058 square metres on Príncep d'Espanya wharf, a port-side quay beside the railway terminal. The Port of Barcelona said the rail facility can currently handle 750-metre trains on UIC, Iberian and metric-gauge tracks.

A terminal designed for growing vehicle imports

The Port said the tender responded to rising traffic in new vehicles, particularly electric cars arriving largely from the Far East for European markets. NYK forecasts traffic of nearly 180,000 vehicles a year from 2028, most of them imports.

NYK operates a fleet of 96 car-carrier ships and 17 roll-on, roll-off terminals, mainly in east and south-east Asia and northern Europe, according to the Port. The company is one of the world's largest shipping operators and has the second-largest fleet of car-carrier vessels.

  • NYK will hold the concession for 27 years.
  • The planned automated vehicle storage silo will have space for 8,160 vehicles.
  • The terminal's vehicles and handling equipment will be fully electric.
  • Solar panels on the automated silo are expected to generate 3,211 MWh of electricity a year.

The Port said NYK's bid includes a commitment to moving vehicles between ships and rail freight services. Locating the terminal beside the existing railway facility is intended to support those connections once the terminal begins operating in early 2027.

The new terminal is expected to handle close to 180,000 vehicles annually from 2028.

Reported by portdebarcelona.cat, DP, ace-cargadores.com, Europa Press Barcelona.