The Yacht Port of Cartagena (YPC) is a newly nuilt International Marine (2005). It is a tranquil marina, located on the clock of the port of Cartagena, wich has an eviable geographical position, halway between Cape Gata and the Island of Ibiza.
Parallel to this, it is situated in the heart of one of the most historic cities of the Mediterranean: Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans … all major civilizations have passed through Cartagena throughout history and have made major city vestiges of their culture.
Less than thirty yards from the main gateway of YPC is Arqvua, the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology, recently opened by HRH. Infanta Cristina de Borbón. As can be seen in one of the sketches (Plano Yacht Port Cartagena), it is located next to the museum and in front of the new Auditorium and Convention Center of Cartagena, with a capacity for 3000 people. The Sea Wall (Muralla del Mar), ordered built by King Carlos III in the late XVIII century, stands as a backdrop to this scenario.
In 1988 remains of an ancient Roman theater in good condition was discovered along the port and restored -located only a few minutes walk from YPC. Today it is a major new tourist attraction. There are many archaeological remains, Carthaginians and mostly Romans, scattered throughout the city. It is difficult to demolish a building without finding anything interesting on its foundations. Not surprisingly, the theme here is: ‘Cartagena, Port of cultures. ” This exciting city treasures three thousand years of history. It is said that “Cartagena is a living culture.”
An objective of the City of Cartagena is to present this historic city through its port, with respect to tourism an economic importance. The port is a stopover for cruise companies operating in the western Mediterranean. Throughout 2010 the port received the visit of 198 cruises, with a total of 340,000 tourists. In 2011 the visit of 421,000 tourists is confirmed, representing an annual increase of 15% in the number of visitors.
YACHT PORT
Of not less importance is the number of national and international races held annually in Cartagena. The City Council as well as the Sailing Federation support the port. In addition, the YPC, since its inauguration, has developed a policy to promote sports events. It has for three consecutive years, 2008, 2009 and 2010, hosted a race now considered the most prestigious in the world: the Audi MedCup. The best boats and the best sailors in the world meet in these waters. Obviously, the media coverage and impact at international level is very significant. Noted that the Audi MedCup takes place only in five World Ports.
During the years after the inauguration, the YPC has continued to grow. The initial objective of responding to the demand for berths for vessels of medium and large yachts in the Mediterranean area is now a reality. It has 310 berths for yachts of between 12 and 70 meters in length, although it can accommodate bigger vessels. Some of these moorings have fingers that provide even greater comfort and safety at the berth. The port has moorings for rent and for sale.
The YPC offers free WIFI connection, laundry, showers, private security night light and water supply in all ties, availability of oil in port, tips, waste collection, ice cubes, and a video camera … professional and personalized attention to users.
Equidistant from the island of Ibiza and Cape Gata, with an excellent resource management, and a top-notch professional team, the YPC has become a point of reference in the Western Mediterranean within the last five years.
Important for the YPC from the economic point of view is the proposed new terminal for containers and general cargo: the project of the new port of El Gorguel.
THE GORGUEL: A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH
Growth expectations in the port of Cartagena inevitably require the construction of a new port. This growth has led to the project of expansion through the El Gorguel. El Gorguel is a strategic area that would provide the required infrastructure for maritime traffic and the market for this new planned terminal in the coming decades. According to experts there will be a necessity to accommodate ships with capacity to carry 10,000 containers and a length of 350 meters (the length of three football fields)-These ships – so the experts – represent the future and will become widespread in the coming years. Currently there are units under construction in a shipyard in Asia. Having a dock of this kind in the port of Cartagena would imply to have no competitors in the Mediterranean. Additionally experts warn that the main competitors will be saturated in the coming years due to expected increase in maritime traffic.
The project “El Gorguel” includes the construction of a container terminal and a terminal for other general-purpose goods as well as logistical areas. El Gorguel offers optimal conditions for its location, no deeper than 50 meters, and proximity to communication routes to ensure the land transport. The terminal will be located next to two large industrial zones: the area of El valle de Escombreras which includes the oil-refinery and valle del Gorguel, with a total area of one million seven hundred thousand square meters.
A study by an international consulting firm ‘Hamburg Port Consulting’ determined that if the terminal came into service in 2015, the port would reach one million containers four years later, and already in 2025, the volume of goods arrive at the figure of 2.7 million containers, with the proviso that the terminal is operating at full capacity in 2022.
The terminal of El Gorguel is drawn as a prerequisite for the integration of the city of Cartagena on the European network of intermodal transport (REMOMED). It would put the port of Cartagena in a position to establish a direct line to the Far East and compete directly with the ports of Barcelona, Valencia, Algeciras, southern France, etc. In short, it would improve the competitiveness of the Region of Murcia with regard to its products and position Cartagena as a major scale east-west global shipping port, which is of great importance with respect to the economic growth of the two Asian giants, China and India.