QUESTIONNAIRE Cartagena Port Authority JOSÉ MARÍA GÓMEZ FUSTER, General Manager

2024 was the best third year in the history of the Port of Cartagena in its total cargo traffic with 35.6 million tons of total cargo movement on 2,199 vessels, despite an unstable international situation that affected the logistics chain. 

From this port we mainly move bulk cargo, both liquid and solid, in fact, we are the first Spanish port in this traffic. We also lead the import, foreign trade and export of live cattle. We are the fourth largest port in Spain and one of the most profitable in the Spanish port system.

Cartagena is one of the most flexible and competitive ports in Spain, offering agile and efficient services, fully liberalized stevedoring and the deepest draft in the Spanish Mediterranean, which allows us to handle the largest ships in the world in record time. This guarantees greater competitiveness to companies, which are assured of immediate unloading of their goods when the ship docks at the pier. And with this objective of providing the best service in an efficient and effective way, our Business Plan contemplates major projects to advance in intermodality, promoting a better connection with Europe, innovation and sustainability with the aim of being a base port for energy transformation. 

On the other hand, the uniqueness of our Port, with two docks separated by 7 kilometers, the one in Escombreras, far from Cartagena, and the one in Cartagena, fully in the city, is allowing us to make a transformation of the entire seafront more lively, modern and innovative, as an example of a model of port-city integration.

We are talking about 10 kilometers of extension by and for the people of Cartagena, integrated in the Lighthouse to Lighthouse project, which includes several actions, divided into phases, which will make Cartagena a more open city as a tourist capital in the Mediterranean. And of course, as a port of call for cruise ships, we have the challenge of having our cruise terminal electrified by 2025 so that cruise ships entering the mouth of our port can turn off their engines and connect to the network that we will offer them. 

Traffic diversification has been one of the strategic lines of the Port Authority of Cartagena in recent years. Industries such as offshore, LNG traffic, and petrochemicals are becoming increasingly important in the port.

What are the actions being developed by the Port of Cartagena to increase the loyalty of these traffics? 

The Port of Cartagena has a trajectory of constant growth as the first economic and logistic engine of the Region of Murcia, moving 60 percent of exports and 80 percent of imports. We have consolidated our position as the fourth Spanish port in goods traffic and number 20 among European ports.

Our diversification policy has allowed us to attend new traffics, consolidate our position, and even be able to become an alternative to urgent market needs, and it is, as I said before, because of our agility in both sea and land operations, as well as because we offer safe services and efficient infrastructures that we are constantly remodeling. Every investment we make is in response to the needs of our customers. 

In global figures, liquid bulk traffic still represents more than 77 percent of our total volume of goods, but we have achieved a very significant increase in solid bulk traffic, as the second national port in agri-foodstuffs, as well as being the first Spanish port in live animal exports.

We have entered new markets, such as the offshore industry, which is the repair and maintenance of ships and oil platforms, where we are already the alternative in the Mediterranean, as well as scrap metal, salt, project cargo or ro-ro traffic, where we were able to handle the import of 2,000 vehicles in record time, 100 vehicles in one hour, in the first ro-ro traffic operation of vehicles. 

The expansion of the Príncipe Felipe dock in Escombreras for the loading and unloading of LNG involved an investment of 9.7 million euros and is a real option as a gateway to Europe for this sustainable fuel, allowing two large LNG tankers to operate at the same time. But also that companies such as Enagás continue to trust us with important investments in their facilities. 

What projects does the Port Authority have ahead of it? 

We are a leading port in bulk traffic, both liquid and solid. The expansions in our facilities that we have made over the years have made possible the establishment of companies around the Port, in the Escombreras Valley, one of the most important multi-energy poles in Spain and Europe, such as Ilboc, Engie or Repsol.

That is why our challenge is to be base port of the energy transformation of Spain and Europe. We have to ensure that the majority of green energy production leaves through our Port. We are already a reference in natural gas. We were among the first ports to carry out bunkering operations together with Enagás and Repsol, within the framework of the European project CORE LNGas Hive, co-financed by the European Commission, that is to say, to supply LNG to the ship from a terminal located on the quay through a pipeline. 

And because we know how to move liquid bulk, continues to expand the pipeline racks on our docks to generate greater competitiveness, efficiency in loading and unloading and reduce times. But also, to be more sustainable, as these racks allow companies to install pipelines to move their liquid cargo from the ship directly to their facilities, or vice versa, avoiding road transport of dangerous goods.

One of our key projects is to connect the Port with the future Logistics Activities Zone of Cartagena through pipe racks, in order to solve the occupancy problems we have in Escombreras. It is a long-term project with an investment valued at 42 million euros that will allow us to move towards more sustainable fuels such as ecofrio or green hydrogen. By 2025, we want to start with the feasibility studies and technical projects. 

In solid bulk, our dry port project in Algodor, in Aranjuez, in a bet for the maritime-port traffic through the railroad that will connect the Port’s goods with the center of Spain in a more competitive, effective and efficient way. We will gain relevance in the center of Spain with a weekly train loaded with cereal that will arrive in Cartagena for import, as well as working on other goods such as green ammonia. 

In addition, this year the new Border Control Post at the Santa Lucia dock will come into operation, a large modern building with the implementation of new technologies, greater food and livestock safety, greater capacity to bring together the services of Animal Health, Plant Health, Foreign Health, Soivre (Official Service of Inspection, Surveillance and Regulation of Foreign Trade) and Customs, and automation of services, which will improve the operations of perishable goods traffic that have increased in recent years. 

On the other hand, we will also have a new shipping terminal for live cattle traffic, in the Príncipe Felipe dock of the Escombreras dock, with top quality facilities and with the highest guarantees of care and respect. The Port of Cartagena is one of the main ports in Europe for the export of live cattle. We are a key logistics platform at the service of livestock companies in the Region and throughout Spain, within its strategy of diversification and opening of new markets. 

The AP of Cartagena is one of the most profitable ports in Spain, what bonus policies has the AP implemented? 

Cartagena is one of the Spanish ports with the most profitable rates in the Spanish port system, which contributes to the competitiveness of an infrastructure that generates security and confidence for investors. Our solvency and management is demonstrated by being one of the few port authorities without indebtedness and a sufficient solvency to activate rate reductions and bonuses to our potential customers that allow us to give added value to the companies of the Region and our hinterland. 

In this sense, in recent years we have implemented a battery of bonuses to help companies in the sector and to encourage freight traffic. In this sense, in recent years we have implemented a series of bonuses to help companies in the sector and to encourage freight traffic: bonuses on ship and passenger taxes for cruise ships, especially in the winter months; the reduction of 40 percent, the maximum allowed by law, to attract and retain traffic in containers bound for the Region of Murcia, as well as in ro-ro, ro-pax and ferry traffic, to help reduce the presence of heavy vehicles on the roads.

In merchandise rates for the export of live animals and steel products, fertilizers, cereals, frozen and refrigerated fishing, since in the Cartagena area there are the largest bluefin tuna farms in the Mediterranean, clinker, lubricants, supplies, and for offshore platforms and ships, which is a line of business that is boosting the port of Cartagena. Rates are also reduced by 20 percent in scrap metal traffic. 

And with our sights set on the railroad, we are applying the maximum 40% bonus to promote the maritime-terrestrial modality, which will be vital to connect with the center of Spain in cereal traffic. 

With this package of measures we will continue to be able to be attractive to private investment and continue to maintain an income statement with profits that few Spanish ports can boast. 

What stage is the new Barlomar terminal at? How will it affect the competitiveness of the port and the regional economy?

Indeed, the expansion of Escombreras with the Barlomar Terminal means a qualitative and quantitative leap in the traffic of goods through a multipurpose terminal, one of the most modern and sustainable in the world, which will double the regional productivity as the main exporting port of the products of the Region. We need to grow with infrastructures that meet the needs of the regional and global markets. The process is proceeding more slowly than we would like. 

We are talking about an investment of 822 million euros that will generate approximately 10,000 jobs, almost full employment in Cartagena. A project for the future that has the support of the business and social fabric of the Region. The new multipurpose maritime terminal will occupy 58 hectares in the port of Escombreras, will be more eco-efficient, and will be connected to the railroad and the Mediterranean Corridor with the maritime transport lines and with the Logistics Activities Zone of Cartagena, placing the region as the gateway to and from Europe for goods from the rest of the world through its port. 

Barlomar will make us competitive in containerized cargo traffic. We will multiply by 10 times the current capacity, being able to serve the largest container ships in the world. Our current Santa Lucia Terminal prevents the entry of 92 percent of the ships of the fleet of the 20 most important shipping lines in the world due to its shallow draft. With Barlomar, we will be able to service all container vessels currently operating. 

But it will also position the Region in the off-shore industry (repair and maintenance of offshore platforms, etc.) as a strategic point in the Mediterranean within the club of industrial hubs. And it will allow us to continue growing in solid bulk traffic, where we are leaders among Spanish ports by gaining 180,000 m3 of storage space for cereal traffic.

And the El Gorguel dock project, what would it mean for the Port of Cartagena? 

El Gorguel is the best constructive solution in average depths between 25 and 65 meters. The new dock would allow us to open up to new markets, which, today, we are not able to serve due to the current configuration of our port. It would allow us to operate up to 3.8 million containers (mainly transshipment) and 2.3 million tons of RO-RO traffic.

With the figures we are currently considering, the construction of a new Port in El Gorguel, would allow the Region to become a major node in the global transport chain, which would entail a huge logistics and distribution activity, as well as increase the volume of business that is currently not possible in Cartagena. We would enter the container traffic which, right now, is a very residual traffic for us. 

We are talking about mobilizing more than 1,500 million euros at no cost to the taxpayer, 30,000 jobs (direct, indirect and induced) and an added value of 1,634 million euros per year, once in operation. We would double our contribution to the regional GDP from the current 4% to 8.6%. It would attract new investments, new industrial projects and would be the catalyst for new opportunities. 

In terms of cruise ship traffic. What are the port’s forecasts for the year 2025? What promotional actions are being developed? 

Cartagena is a consolidated destination in the Mediterranean in cruise traffic and this is not the result of chance, but of a constant promotion and dissemination work since it was decided to bet more than 20 years ago. Fairs and events are very important, but we also belong to international cruise associations such as CLIA and we are in permanent contact with the shipping companies. However, the greatest promotion is the one made by the cruisers who visit us.

We have been able to verify this in the surveys that the shipping companies themselves make to the tourists on the ship, where Cartagena always has excellent results and it is because we offer a different and unique destination that they cannot find in another city. No city the size of Cartagena has so many museums and interpretation centers. An offer that is combined with personalized nautical, nature and diving or gastronomic experiences. 

We have been able to adapt to the new demands of the sector, anticipating their needs, while continuing to work on a model of an integrating city with an attractive seafront converted into a large square full of social life, activities and restaurants with excellent services. 

By 2025, 190 ships and more than 250,000 cruise passengers are expected, consolidating our position as a luxury and super- luxury destination in the Mediterranean that seeks exclusivity and differentiation. A commitment to sustainable and more exclusive tourism, which avoids overcrowding, which has a greater economic impact on the city’s hotels and commerce, and which seeks and appreciates destinations with historical and monumental values. It means bringing American or Canadian tourists to Cartagena, who are less likely to choose to visit Cartagena if not through the sea.

In addition, we continue to work on the OPS project to electrify the cruise ship dock so that ships can turn off their engines when entering our Cartagena dock, as well as on the supply of LNG fuel to ships. 

What port-city integration project are you carrying out? 

The Port Authority of Cartagena is in the midst of remodeling its waterfront with investments and projects covering the 10 kilometers of the Cartagena waterfront for the people of Cartagena.

Its objective, in collaboration and coordination with the Cartagena City Council, is to completely open the port to the city in a modern, lively and welcoming integration model that consolidates Cartagena as a great Mediterranean capital through the Lighthouse to Lighthouse project that runs from the beach of Cala Cortina and Faro de Curra to the Christmas Lighthouse through various actions, divided into phases, with the Port of Cartagena as the protagonist through the promotion of accessibility, mobility and sustainability. 

This union will go through a pedestrian and bicycle path that will have spaces along its route so that citizens can enjoy the seafront as the center of sports, cultural and social activities in an environment where walking, resting, in addition to promoting the restoration with the opening of new businesses that will contribute to the dynamism of a Cartagena that has its port as the heart of the city. 

Having already consolidated the first phase of the project of Plaza Mayor and Plaza Héroes de Cavite, which involved the investment of more than 3 million euros, for the enjoyment of Cartagena and tourists and has been a revitalizing effect with the opening of commercial premises, we continue to take steps in different parts of the waterfront. On the one hand, we are drafting the project for Phase 4 of Plaza Mayor in the vicinity of the Cruise Terminal, which we hope the works can begin in late 2025. This action is important because it is the entrance of foreign tourism to Cartagena through the sea.

It is the letter of introduction of Cartagena to cruise passengers and that is why we are working to create a pleasant environment for users with places for rest and recreation where an elongated building for commercial use and services will be implemented as a tourist showcase, with panels that will provide updated information on events, events and local festivals. In addition, the construction of the new administrative building of Santa Lucia is underway, which is located next to the sea and will free up space in the city for the enjoyment of the neighbors. We want a friendly and attractive environment that will enhance the value of this area of the seafront. 

On the other hand, work is progressing on the Vial del Espalmador, with an investment of 3.74 million euros, with the aim of creating a friendly, hiking and sports route for the enjoyment of all citizens, recovering a large area, linked to naval and military history, to make it an attractive area for Cartagena residents and visitors, which in recent years has become a preferred route for sports enthusiasts, and which will give added value to Cartagena as a tourist destination with the transformation of the seafront, connecting it with the city.

What other actions is the Port of Cartagena developing in terms of digitalization and new technologies? 

We are clear that the Port of Cartagena is an engine of logistics and economic development for the Region, but we also want to be the engine of innovation. To this end, we launched a tool called Portlab, through which we are advising and supporting entrepreneurship and innovation in the logistics-port sector. Portlab is already a source of opportunity as a meeting point to integrate the needs identified by the companies of our Port Community with the ideas and projects to be developed by entrepreneurs, start-ups, PhD students and researchers in our sector, on the path towards a Ports 4.0 model. 

Another innovative project we are developing is the LIFE PortSounds project, an ambitious initiative aimed at reducing the impact of underwater noise in the Port of Cartagena, where we participate together with UPCT, UPV and the Naval and Sea Technology Center. It focuses on the identification of underwater noise sources and their influence on marine biodiversity; the development of noise management tools; and the implementation of mitigation measures for cetacean, dolphin and whale populations. This is a pioneering initiative worldwide that we hope will be well received and will help to replicate it in all ports in Spain. 

As you can see, we have based ourselves on a culture of innovation with knowledge transfer in all areas; on the development of Smart grids and advances towards a decarbonization and low- emission model; on achieving more efficient and agile port operations with process automation; on the digitization of processes by introducing 4.0 technology and traceability services in Blockchain networks, as well as on the implementation of new business models. 

We have created alliances with some thirty public and private entities through the Green Hydrogen Valley Platform of the Region of Murcia, with logistics operators, universities and companies such as Navantia to convert one of the largest multi- energy poles in Spain, the Escombreras Valley in the Green Hydrogen Valley, included in the first green hydrogen corridor of the European Union, the H2MED project, to connect Cartagena as a center of green hydrogen production with France and Portugal. In this sense, we are working on two renewable hydrogen tractor projects. 

What are the main pillars and objectives that underpin your sustainability plan for the coming years?

The Port of Cartagena is recognized at European level as one of the most sustainable ports in the Mediterranean. The Sustainability Plan 2022-2025 marks the roadmap to make green the engine of change in the port community, in Cartagena and in the rest of the Region, based on the environmental, social and economic scales, and which has been reflected on the website of the Sustainability Observatory.

On the environmental scale, there are actions of climate neutrality, air, water and soil quality, biodiversity, energy transition, circular economy, environmental education and management, where we have the highest environmental label recognized by the European Union, the EMAS label. We work together with universities through the Mare Nostrum Chair to establish synergies that promote the transfer of knowledge in favor of our port. 

We are pioneers in a pilot project of Reforestation with Posidonia Oceanica, planting 60 fragments of Posidonia Oceanica in the port waters of Tajo de Los Cuervos, with a survival rate of 77%. This is the first time that the reproduction of this endemic plant of the Mediterranean has been attempted in port waters. So much so, that we have been winners of the ‘Corresponsables 2023 Award’ and finalists in the ESPO Awards and in the IV go!ODS Awards, organized and managed by the UN Global Compact Spain in collaboration with the Rafael del Pino Foundation. 

On the social scale, the actions are aimed at quality of life, historical and cultural heritage, port-city integration, promotion of talent and volunteering with several actions aimed at the environmental restoration of the Cabo de Palos Lighthouse. We have been the first port in Spain and Europe to calculate the social value generated by its activity, i.e., incorporating its non-economic benefits, i.e., those that generate value to human capital, the surroundings or the environment, as well as the integrated socio- emotional value.

As a result, the social value generated by APC is more than 118 million euros; in particular, the social impact of APC’s investment is 9.1 times the economic impact. CSR actions are included in a common strategy that is applied transversally in all areas of the Port Authority. In our commitment to the SDGs, we added more companies to the platform launched in 2021 of “Commitment to the Sustainable Development of the Port of Cartagena”, which already integrates a total of 30 organizations that join to work together to achieve a more sustainable, equitable and prosperous port community in Cartagena. 

But if there is one thing we are proud of, it is to be the first Port Authority in Spain to launch the educational program “Know the Port of Cartagena”, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education of the Region of Murcia. This is the second year that we have carried out this action, which integrates an educational module to raise awareness of the impacts of Climate Change on the marine environment and the vulnerability of ecosystems within the curriculum. An initiative aimed at all public and subsidized educational centers in the Region of Murcia, in which more than 30 educational centers and nearly 2,000 students participated.

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This article was developed by specialist José María Gómez Fuster and published as part of the fifth edition of Inspenet Brief magazine August 2025, dedicated to technical content in the energy and industrial sector.