Global Ports Holding Plc (GPH) announced that, following a public tender process, the Las Palmas Port Authority had awarded preferred bidder status to Global Ports Canary Islands (80:20 joint venture between GPH and Sepcan), to operate cruise port concessions for Las Palmas Cruise Ports.
The new concessions cover Las Palmas (Gran Canaria Island), Arrecife (Lanzarote Island) and Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura Island), which have tenures of 40, 20, and 20 years respectively.
Following the successful execution of the concession agreements, Global Ports Holding (part of GPCI) will use its business model and global expertise to manage the cruise operations on the islands Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
The Port Authority of Las Palmas, Global Ports Holding, and GPCI will now work towards agreeing on the concession agreements' terms. The concessions are due to commence before the end of the financial year but there can be no certainty as to the timing or that the conditions will be satisfied.
Las Palmas Ports (which includes the 3 islands) is ranked Spain's 3rd-busiest - after Barcelona and the Balearic Islands, as well as in the top 20 of Europe.
Las Palmas Ports are a key cruise destination for Southern Atlantic itineraries with good airlift connectivity. During the COVID crisis in 2020 unlike other European cruise ports that were closed to passenger shipping traffic, the three ports in Las Palmas handled 500,000+ passengers via “bubble cruises” around the Canaries. There is a demand for winter cruising in the region because of the mild climate during this period compared with other European regions and the outdoor and cultural activities.
Emre Sayin, Chief Executive Officer, said they would work closely with the Port Authority of Las Palmas towards the successful conclusion of the concession agreements.
"Despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, GPH is continuing to deliver on its strategic ambitions of growing its cruise port network. The addition of Las Palmas Cruise Ports will take the total number of cruise ports GPH operates to 22, increasing the cruise passenger capacity to over 15 million passengers per year. “