One of the pillars of the deep remodeling that is being carried out at the Olympic Port, which concentrates an investment of more than 40 million euros, is the dedication of a large part of its space on land – the Mestral and Recer docks – to the blue economy, to the establishment of companies and entities in the maritime field, especially those that are committed to innovation and sustainability. BSM, the municipal company that manages this infrastructure, is starting the process to award 50 premises, which add up to more than 4,000 m2, intended for this activity, according to the bases for contracting through the assignment of use that it has just published. The objective is for them to be launched from the autumn and to be fully operational in the summer of 2024, coinciding with the celebration in Barcelona of the America’s Sailing Cup, an event that is considered to be a shock for to this sector.
The works are very advanced. On the Mestral wharf, where there were nighttime entertainment venues that once caused serious security problems, 23 venues of between 68 and 210m2 are being built. The successful bidders will pay between 20 and 25 euros per square meter per month. The investment in this area is 6.6 million euros, including an event room for 150 people and other common spaces. The work is expected to be finished in September. At the Recer wharf, 27 spaces of more than 30 and 60 m2 are being renovated that were used to store material as offices and even illegal apartments. 6 million are invested here, an amount that includes 70 pallets for nautical equipment. This area is expected to be ready in January. The price will be 16 euros/m2.
BSM has not launched a regular tender in order not to limit the placement of these new spaces to a period of time. Instead, it has opened a public competition process in which interested parties can submit offers for two months, so that a first award can be made at the end of June. But if there are empty premises, proposals can be received again and gradually filled. The municipal company is aware that it will take some time for the entire area to be operational, as it is a new concept aimed at a largely emerging sector.
“The Olympic Port is preparing to be the first center of the city’s blue economy, a dynamic space that generates economic activity related to the sea and respectful of marine ecosystems”, emphasizes the deputy mayor and president of BSM Laia Bonet, who remembers that it is “a project aligned with Barcelona’s new economic agenda”.
The bases establish that companies from four major segments can be established there: nautical, educational and recreational activities; nautical services; innovation and technology, and circular economy. The first two include, among others, the sale of equipment, trips to sea or boat repairs. The last two are those that are more directly dedicated to the modernization of the sector. “We aspire to create an innovative community of companies and entrepreneurs capable of generating synergies with each other and with the social, economic and scientific fabric of the city”, adds the director of Port OlÃmpic, Olga Cerezo. This infrastructure, he continues, “will be ready to host events and sectoral meetings, because it will have an auditorium, and will create a large open space in the open air where the celebration of events, activities and programs will be encouraged to boost the ecosystem and that have an impact on citizens.
