A recent press conference at the 2012 Monaco Yacht Show saw the presentation of a new initiative, the Barcelona Nautical Cluster, which is designed to consolidate the Catalan capital, Barcelona, as an international landmark in the nautical industry. The group’s target is to maximise synergies between companies and organisations in the nautical field and add value to the region. Three of the main objectives of the new Barcelona Nautical Cluster are the generation of new jobs, creation of highly skilled expertise and the encouragement of specialised training in the nautical sector.
Marina Port Vell - Barcelona
The Barcelona City Council and the Port of the Catalan capital are jointly promoting the creation of the Barcelona Nautical Cluster; a group of companies and public organisations aiming to put the city on the map as a key landmark in the nautical industry in the Mediterranean and in the world, and achieve greater competitiveness and productivity throughout the sector in benefit of the city as a whole. The joint venture of the organisations and companies involved should generate wealth and wellbeing, consolidate existing industry, attract new investment and broaden knowledge in the nautical sector.
The initial promoters of the new group, Marina Barcelona 92, the leading refit and repair shipyard in the Mediterranean, Marina Port Vell, planning to revamp their organisation to reflect current market trends, and the Fundación para la Navegación Oceanica de Barcelona (FNOB), a public body offering professional training in the nautical sector and promoting innovation in world class racing.
The Barcelona Nautical Cluster is being launched with the aim of integrating companies, institutions or research centres whose common focus is the sea in order to fully exploit their socioeconomic potential. Also expected to take part are the Nautical Faculty of the Universidad Politécnica de Barcelona, the future marina of the Bocana Nord which is currently under tender, the Consorci El Far offering professional training in the nautical sector and the Cofradía de Pescadores along with strong city backing and the support of other cultural bodies.
Marina Barcelona 92
Integration and Cohesion
The new body will promote collaboration, complementarity and competitiveness among its members, consolidate current industry and seek entrepreneurial excellence by increasing the value of its service offer. The generation of highly skilled expertise, the creation of new jobs, and the tailoring of specialised training to the specific needs of the nautical sector are the three key objectives of the new cluster. In this respect, the cluster must help to identify and define medium and long term training needs in the nautical and port sector and develop professional and occupational training in response.
The city with its maritime sea front and the Port of Barcelona have at their disposal the optimum conditions to become a leading force in the nautical sector and generate economic, social and environmental relations between all the players involved. The Barcelona coastline is home to a significant number of companies providing all types of products and services to the nautical sector. According to a study carried out by the Fundación para la Navegación Oceánica de Barcelona and the Universidad de Barcelona in 2012, from a total of 1,175 companies linked to the nautical sector in Catalonia, 68% of them are located in the Barcelona province.
Marina Port Vell Barcelona - Spain
A sector that generates wealth
The new sector will promote innovation and excellence in the nautical industry with companies and institutions joining forces to boost common projects, establish strong collaboration ties and allow knowledge to be shared by boosting innovation and maximising synergies through economies of scale.
The Barcelona Nautical Cluster will promote the sea as an identity-defining element by giving prominence to the activities it is traditionally associated with and which form part of the social, cultural and economic heritage of the region. New areas of interest such as training, research and innovation linked to the maritime sector will therefore be added to the traditional activities of fishing, repair and refit, sailing and maritime transport.
The constitution of the Barcelona Nautical Cluster is set for December and will coincide with the annual meeting of AIVP, the Association Internationale des Villes et Ports (AIVP), the world network bringing together the main port cities of the world.
Marina Barcelona 92 (MB92) groups together more than 40 companies exclusively dedicated to the maintenance, refit and repair of yachts from 35 to 195 metres in length and is a world leader in the maintenance, refit and repair of large yachts. Its facilities extend over an area of 76,000m2 and are equipped with state of the art technology and a technical team of over 400 professionals. The company currently caters for over 70 vessels, each one of which has a permanent crew requiring all kinds of services and training during their stay in the city. The business group, currently involved in the significant extension of the Cataluña and Occidental Quays, regards Port Vell as having strong magnetic pull and is expanding rapidly. Representing an investment of 50 million euros, MB92 is currently redeveloping the new dock, the dry dock and new service buildings; work which is due to be completed during the coming quarter. The second phase (2013) will involve the installation of a syncrolift platform. The expansion program of the facilities offered by MB92 to the nautical sector will be second to none in the world.
Marina Port Vell is a public marina and recreational harbour in the Port of Barcelona. It offers 410 moorings to craft from 10 to 30 metres in length but is currently being redeveloped to adapt its facilities to current market trends. This involves improving and reinforcing its quay walls and the company soon plans to invest some 30 million euros to allow medium and large size yachts to be included in their client portfolio thereby increasing the company’s international prominence. This redevelopment is expected to have a direct and indirect impact on the city to the tune of around 650 million euros and will help create around 400 jobs directly and indirectly. Marina Port Vell and MB92 have significant potential to establish synergies and carry out joint actions as refit and repair work is indispensible for attracting all types of yachts to the Port of Barcelona.
Fundación para la Navegación Oceánica de Barcelona (FNOB) is a body comprising the Port of Barcelona, the City Council, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Barcelona Trade Fair with the aim of boosting world class yacht racing and promoting research and innovation in the field of sailing. The Fundación promotes the Barcelona World Race (the only 2-man yacht race in the world) and has its own team. It came into being with three objectives: sport, industry and technology to carry out projects and activities associated with world-class oceanic competition racing. According to a study carried out by ESADE, the economic impact of the Barcelona World Race (BWR) on the Catalán economy exceeds 200 million euros and has created or maintained a thousand jobs.
Port Vell, a driving force in investment
Barcelona’s Port Vell is generating significant investment in the sailing industry and the maritime sector. In addition to the 50 million euro investment involved in the expansion of Marina Barcelona 92 and the 30 million euro investment plan of Marina Port Vell to reform its facilities, must also be added the 10 million euro investment destined by the Port of Barcelona to the full renovation of its fishing facilities.
The area known as the Bocana Nord is the location of two further very significant developments. It will house the new headquarters of the fashion brand Desigual and the forthcoming Bocana Nord Marina, currently under tender. The head offices of Desigual, representing an investment of 30 million euros will be operational by the end of the year and will house around a thousand of the company’s employees. Meanwhile, the area to the south of Hotel W Barcelona is destined for the construction of a new recreational port for vessels of 15 to 50 metres in length. This new Bocana Nord Marina, involving a 30 million euro investment, is to include dry storage for small boats.
In short, these developments amount to a total investment of 150 million euros, all of which concentrate on Port Vell and are either currently being developed or are under tender.
