A Coruna

The Port of A Coruña will offer OPS to cruise ships from 2027 in the Transatlanticos quay and Calvo Sotelo dock

December 3, 2025 11:57

The Board of Directors of the Port Authority of A Coruña awarded the construction and management of the electricity supply system for cruise ships to the specialist company Regenera OPS Dos SL, whose proposal received the highest score. Regenera will invest over €10 million in the installation of the OPS system (Onshore Power Supply). It will be installed both in the Transatlanticos quay and in the Calvo Sotelo Sur dock, which is used in the event of multiple cruise calls. It will allow for ships to turn off their engines during their stay in the city, avoiding emissions into the atmosphere. The system is expected to be operational in 2027. The concession is valid for 32 years, in accordance with the winning company's bid. The works will include the connection to the distribution grid, a transformer and frequency conversion centre, connection towers on both docks, an underground medium voltage network, two electric cable management vehicles for simultaneous supply to both docks and other facilities, equipment and systems. The main criteria to select the concessionaire, with a 40% score, have been the rates structure and maximum rates for the provision of the service, so that they are attractive for shipping companies with competitive energy prices. With the award of this public service contract, the Port of A Coruña will be one of the first ports in Spain to provide cruise ships with electricity. This will significantly increase its competitiveness in the sector, since shipping companies are strongly committed to sustainability and highly value the availability of OPS, to which most ships are already adapting. Almost 60% of cruise vessels are prepared to use the port service, and this figure is growing every year. The Port Authority continues to carry out actions aimed at boosting cruise ship calls in A Coruña, which are understood to be very beneficial for the city as a whole. An economic impact of €40 million per year in direct expense from cruisers and crew members is expected to have an impact on port and tourism services, commerce, bars and restaurants, transport, security, etc. Improvement works on the Transatlanticos quay are well advanced at present, with the aim of adapting its structure and fenders to accommodate the current size of the fleet. This project has received an investment of € 1.3 million. These works include the installation of the pipeline through which the OPS infrastructure will run.

Historical day at the Port of A Coruña with 5 cruise ships

April 29, 2025 18:39

TUESDAY 22nd APRIL, THE PORT OF A CORUÑA HAD THE BUSIEST CRUISE DAY IN ITS HISTORY WITH THE ARRIVAL OF FIVE CRUISE SHIPS • This is the first quintuple call in the history of the port of A Coruña and the second largest ever, following the arrival of six cruise ships on 2 May 2014, although then with a smaller length and less travellers. • Between passengers and crew, 14,500 people arrived in just one day on Tuesday 22nd April. • Around 150 people were involved in the operation, involving the Port Police, security forces, surveillance, supplies, transport, port companies and tourist services. • The Port Authority of A Coruña has been preparing special arrangements for several weeks, including the provision of four terminals and a service of 10 shuttle buses to speed up passenger arrivals and departures. • In addition to the two cruises on Monday 21st, this week there will be a triple stopover on Sunday 27th, the arrival of two ocean liners on Thursday 24th, and another cruise stopover on Wednesday 23rd. In just one week, a total of 13 ships and 40,000 tourists. MSC Poesia with 3,324 passengers on board, arrived at around 9:00 AM at the San Diego dock. P&O Ventura with 4,314 passeners, docked at the Calvo Sotelo Sur dock at 6:45 AM. At 7:00 AM, the Balmoral with 1,614 passengers, was scheduled to dock at Centenario Oeste. At the same time, the Amera with 1,000 passengers on board, arrived at Calvo Sotelo Norte. The last, and largest vessel of the day, the Celebrity APEX, carrying 2,975 passengers and 1,321 crew members. This amounts to 14,548 visitors in a single day, between the passengers and crew members of the five ships. The special arrangements for this quintuple call have been coordinated by the Port Authority of A Coruña, with the Port Police playing a leading role and 150 staff involved between port personnel, surveillance reinforcements, State security forces, Corunna Cruise Terminal, transport, tourist services, supplies and port services, among others.