The Port of Barcelona's Management Board approves the first measures of the Recovery Plan with reductions in fees up to 2022

The Port of Barcelona today held an Extraordinary Management Board meeting to approve provisions to alleviate the effects of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. With this Extraordinary Management Board meeting, the Port of Barcelona has become the first port in Spain to approve a series of provisions that include short-term measures (Emergency Plan), to be rolled out during this year, and medium-term measures (Recovery Plan) required to reactivate the economy.

The agreed measures were designed in accordance with the traffic forecasts and future revenues of the Port of Barcelona to have positive effects covering the years up to 2022 and will involve mobilising resources of about €23 million for the operators up to that date.

These measures are now awaiting final approval by the Central Government in accordance with established procedures and in compliance with current regulations. They are as follows:

First package of measures of the Recovery Plan

The Management Board has approved the first package of measures of the Recovery Plan to promote the competitiveness of the Port Community. These measures are transitional and will apply only in 2021 and 2022, with a total impact on Port revenues of up to €19 million, as follows:

1. Unique discounts on fees for the occupation of container terminals (25% in 2021 and 20% in 2022), depending on the volume of transhipment traffic handled), multipurpose and ro-ro terminals (10% in 2021 and 5% in 2022); and car terminals (30% in 2021 and 15% in 2022).

2. Corrective coefficients reducing usage fees: these will be applied for the first time to vessels, passengers and freight.

Reduction in the fee for the occupation of concessions and authorisations

The Extraordinary Management Board meeting approved the last of the pending measures in the Emergency Plan: reductions in the occupation fee. For the passenger terminals, a 30% reduction in the occupation fee will be applied to concessions whose activity has fallen by between 20% and 40% compared to 2019 and a 60% reduction where the impact on the activity is more than 40%.

For the remaining concessions and authorisations, the reductions in the occupation fee will be 15% when the impact on activity is between 10% and 15% and 20% when the impact is greater than 15%.

Occupation permits for an area of under 200 square metres and stopping and parking areas, when not complementary to other permits for larger areas, will benefit from a reduction of 20% on the share of the corresponding occupation fee, upon request by the party concerned.

Port tugs will apply a 5% discount on maximum fees

The Port of Barcelona Management Board has been informed of the procedures applied with the port tug joint venture to apply a 5% discount to the regular maritime service on the maximum rates for the approved port tug service. This discount, applicable until 31 December 2020, will be transferred to the commercial agreements that these companies have with various customers of the Port of Barcelona.

The measure will be part of the overall provisions aimed at reducing the effects of the economic crisis and boosting traffic in the Port of Barcelona and this has been communicated to the providers of this port service, which are currently studying the proposal. We understand that, together with the other measures adopted, we are paving the way for recovery in the wake of the heavy impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on port traffic.