Port of Bilbao invites tenders for container terminal construction and operation

24 February 2023

Print Page Email

The board of directors of the Port Authority of Bilbao, Spain, has unanimously approved the call for a public tender for the award of a concession for the construction and operation of a maritime container terminal on the Central Quay at the port of Bilbao.

The Central Quay is the last large area of the port of Bilbao for which a concession can be awarded.

Improving the connectivity and intermodality of the port of Bilbao and attracting new traffic and shipping lines are strategic objectives of the Port Authority of Bilbao. The decision to designate the last large port area reclaimed from the sea in the sheltered dock of the Outer Abra to container traffic is aligned to these objectives.

Works are being taken forward in two phases. The first, already completed, has given rise to an operational surface area of more than 30 hectares, with 232,530m² currently available, after part of it was awarded by concession to a conventional goods operator. The construction of the second phase will begin this year and will also have an operational surface area in excess of 30 hectares.

Interested parties may opt for part or all of the areas made available in both phases of the Central Quay. On the one hand, they may opt for partial or total occupation of the spaces available in Phase 1 of the Central Quay, or, alternatively, opt for partial or total occupation of both Phase 1 and Phase 2, subject in all cases to the rules established for this purpose in the tender specifications.

The concession will be awarded for a maximum of 40 years. The minimum annual traffic permitted is set at 1 TEU/m² of concession plot, so the proposal must meet or exceed this figure.

The tender criteria are based on three main aspects, which will be assessed according to the contents of the technical and economic proposals submitted by the bidders: revenue for the Port Authority of Bilbao, traffic generated and programmed investments.

Sign up for free weekly newsletter

Sign up for free digital edition of the magazine