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2/22/08 - Cruise traffic increased 31% in the port of Malaga during 2007 |
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The Port of Málaga increased the traffic of containers, vehicles, cargo and passengers during 2007. If 2006 figures were spectacular, last year finished with the consolidation of these results. The increase of 33.01% in the number of ships during the last five years counts on an interesting figure: the great enlargement in the gross tonnes of these ships (+ 147% G.T.). The difference between the GT and the number of ships is caused by the bigger size of the ships moored in our port. But the ships represents only one of the many areas in which the Port of Málaga increased considerably.
Cruise ships
During 2007, a total of 292,567 passengers arrived in our port in 240 calls (nine more than the previous year). This figure shows an increase of 31.09% of cruise passengers related to 2006. It means that Málaga is the second Spanish port in the peninsula in this kind of traffic, behind Barcelona.
Currently, the cruise ships have the capacity to accommodate a larger number of passengers. An example is that in 2006, each vessel arrived in the city had about 966 passengers, but in 2007, this figure rised to 1,219.
Home port
The city of Málaga started to be important as a home port in 2007, tripling the number of passengers who embarked and disembarked in the Port of Málaga in these kind of calls. About 4,113 tourists started or finished their travel in the port in 2006, but in 2007 this figure increased to 12,842.
The number of home calls in 2007 was 24, this means 14 more calls than the previous year.
Forecast 2008
The Port of Málaga foresees an increase in the number of passengers and cruise ships in the city. Málaga Port could rise to 330,000 passengers and 270 calls in the present year.
The inauguration of the new Passenger Terminal and its south berth will contribute to increase this kind of traffic in the Port of Málaga and its consolidation as a home port.
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