Barcelona bans cruise ships in bid to stop pollution choking the city

     

 

 

Cruise ships will be banned from docking at Barcelona’s most centrally-located port from October 22 in a bid to stop pollution choking the city.

All cruise ships will be forced to dock at the city’s less central southern port along the Moll Adossat pier, which is currently used by larger cruise ships by lines such as Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises.

The city’s 'Muelle Barcelona Norte' northern docks and the World Trade Centre area will both be affected by the ban.

 

It means that tourists will no longer be able to stroll off cruise ships into Barcelona’s historic centre - instead, they'll have to take a shuttle bus from the dock further south to access 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.’