Port accessFrom 9 to 11 May, the Port of Bilbao will once again be present at the Expovacaciones trade fair, to be held this year at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC), to promote its offer for sea travel, both on ferries and on cruise ships.
Sea trips from the main port of the Atlantic Arc are at the heart of this 45th edition of the fair, which will once again focus on the concept of “Live it and Savour it”, an invitation to enjoy the experience with all five senses.
The exhibition area shared by the Bilbao Port Authority and Brittany Ferries at Stand H11, Pavilion 1, will showcase the Port’s connections with Ireland and the United Kingdom on two modern cruise ferries, designed to offer the best possible travel experience whilst catering in detail for the comfort of all passengers and their pets. The Salamanca runs between the Port of Bilbao and the Irish port of Rosslare twice a week: on Thursdays departing at 18.00, and on Sundays, departing at 11.00. For its part, the Galicia connects the Port of Bilbao with the English city of Portsmouth twice a week: on Tuesdays and Saturdays, departing at 13.00.
This season, the Bilbao Port Authority is also offering a transfer service connecting the ferry passenger terminal in Zierbena, which is equipped with a small tourist information office, with the centre of Bilbao, from where passengers can travel on to other parts of the Basque Country or Spain. This service is designed to enable foot passengers to either travel to the centre of Bilbao and return to the ship a few hours later, to stay a few days in the Basque Country before catching another ferry, or to continue their journey elsewhere.
The shipping company Brittany Ferries is also offering a new product called ‘Bilbao cruise and stay’, consisting of packages that include stays in a choice of hotels in the city for 3 or 4 nights. At the same time, and in collaboration with the Great Wine Capitals global network, of which the Bilbao Chamber of Commerce is a member, Brittany Ferries has reached an agreement with the Regulating Council of the Rioja Denomination of Origin, to offer travellers from the United Kingdom and Ireland the opportunity to explore this world-renowned wine-growing region. The package, called the “Rioja Wine Experience”, offers a flexible, self-guided four-day experience.
Cruise embarkation from Getxo
The Port Authority expects to welcome over 90 cruise ships this year. Eight will call at the Port of Bilbao for the first time, nine will stay overnight, two cruise ships will call on ten occasions and three on two days, and another three will involve major boarding/disembarkation operations in April, July and September.
These three cruise ships are:
- MSC Poesia, owned and operated by MSC Cruises (April). Seven-day itinerary from Bilbao: Bilbao, Southampton, Le Havre, Rotterdam and Copenhagen.
- Europe 2, operated by Hapag Lloyd Cruises (July). Twelve-day itinerary from Bilbao: Bilbao, Gijón, A Coruña. Porto, Lisbon, Cadiz, Marbella, Ibiza and Barcelona.
- Oceania Vista (September). Eleven-day itinerary from Bilbao: Bilbao, Gijón, A Coruña, Porto, Lisbon, Tangiers, Almería, Cartagena, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona.
Commitment to sustainability
The Bilbao Port Authority is committed to economic, social and environmental sustainability. Within this context, the BilbOPS project for the electrification of the docks is of particular interest, with the deployment of OPS – Onshore Power Supply – technology for vessels to connect to the power grid when berthed, thereby reducing fuel consumption and gas emissions and minimising noise and vibration levels.
The OPS project also extends to the ferry and cruise ship docks, the electrification of which is part of the second phase of the project, scheduled for completion in 2027. With a budget of 50.1 million euros, this second phase will be part-funded by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Funds), whilst the remainder will be financed by the Port Authority itself. In addition, a loan of 80 million euros has been secured with the European Investment Bank (EIB), part of which will be used to finance this project. Part of the power supply for the OPS project will be from renewable sources, such as an array of PV solar panels, the project for which has been put out to tender for 15.6 million euros.
