The Port of Malaga has a long history; a port in continuous transformation, it has been adapting to the new demands of the market and the interests of Malaga and its citizens throughout its entire history.
Malaga's Port has become the second Tourist Cruise port in the Peninsula, and it is visited by the most important international cruise lines and the most iconic cruise ships, such as the Queen Mary II. This segment will be further strengthened by the New Cruise Ship and Vessel Terminal for the area at the end of the pierhead.
In addition, the Port's Special Plan will mean the final integration of the Port into the City, providing the latter and its historic centre with the sea facade it has always longed for, by using piers 1 and 2 for cultural and leisure activities.
Presently Malaga's Port is an economic and logistics centre, that generates wealth for the city.
Moreover, the transformations that the Port has undergone are establishing it as a very important benchmark for the maritime and tourism sectors in Southern Europe.
The most recent challenges to the Port of Malaga have been the implementation of two great Plans:
Spearheaded by these plans, the Port of Malaga is attracting ever increasing interest, which has created a need for a structure of its own to carry out communications and promotional activities internationally in order to publicize the benefits and qualities of this strategic natural, geographic and economic
Muelle 1: Sea Shopping
This project has reserved 170 linear metres on Pier 1 for the Marina which provides 24 docking points for large sports and pleasure vessels of up to 30 metres long. Concessions have already been awarded and in the future this line could be expanded to cover the entire pier.
Muelle Uno Sea Shopping has 14,000 sq. metres of high quality recreational and business facilities, where restaurants, small businesses and leisure coexist. The project includes a large 4,000 sq. metre surface providing 6,300 sq. metres of publicly owned development potential for cultural use
The project will also include an underground garage with approximately 900 parking spots under Piers 1 and 2, and another 150 parking spots at pier level and under the new lookout point created in the plaza in front of the Farola.
The roofs of this entire project form a new and spectacular promenade called the Paseo de la Farola, which will turn the area into a unique pedestrian walkway only 30 metres from the water's edge.
All this will result in a project that, not only respects the current landscape of that very sensitive downtown area, but will also enhance it by fusing it with the seaboard.
The total planned investment is 36,700,000 Euros. This facility will open to the public in 2010, under the name of Muelle Uno Sea Shopping.
For more information, visit the Web page www.muelleuno.com
Pier 2: The Palm Grove of Surprises
The proposal for Pier 2 is the result of an International Architectural Contest, won by architects Jerónimo Junquera and Liliana Obal, for the project entitled "The Palm Grove of Surprises".
It is an area shaped like a Hall with views of the Mediterranean and boasting two basic elements: a stretch of palm trees and a pergola parallel to the pier.
As part of the setting of the Palm Grove, there are three buildings designed for minimum volumetry and maximum visual permeability from the city. Two of them will be used for educational and cultural activities, and the third one will be a Maritime Station for small and medium-size cruise ships.
San Andrés Platform
Within the framework of the port-city operation, another four major projects are planned that will completely transform the concept of this pier.
The following works are planned on a surface of approximately 100,000 sq. metres:
The Port of Malaga's Expansion Plan was born in the last decade of the 20th century. It originated in the proposal for the establishment of a multipurpose Terminal for containers and other items and from the need to build a jetty for that new platform. This jetty was also assigned the role of pier for cruise ships.
East Dike:
It is actually a new 1,800 metre long dike extending to the south. The works, awarded in September, 1997, were officially inaugurated on July 24, 2001. These works received financing from the Port Authority of Malaga and FEDER Funds.
Container Terminal – Pier 9:
It is a 400,000 sq. metre platform built on land that has been reclaimed from the sea. It started operating in April of 2004, through a concession awarded to the company Terminales del Sudeste. It has a docking line of 723 m and a draft of 17 metres, apart from a 170 metre long ro-ro docking facility.
The financing for this work has been supported by a joint public -private model (Port Authority of Malaga and Dragados SPL), as well as by the contribution of FEDER funds.
East Maritime Station:
A large Maritime Station was planned for the Eastern zone to be developed in two stages. It is a building of over 13,700 sq. metres with two wharfs for cruise ships.
The first stage was inaugurated, together with the South Wharf on December 23, 2007, and it started operating in February 2008. The Port Authority of Malaga and FEDER funds were in charge of the financing. It is administered by the company Cruceros, Málaga, S.A.
The North Wharf was inaugurated in October 2009 and its construction has been financed using the same model set out above.
