The Port of Barcelona has announced that the Barcelona International Terminal, S.A. (BIT), a joint venture between SGS and Masiques, will have the most advanced coffee terminal in southern Europe.
Building the new terminal involves an investment of €30 million ($35.4 million), €20 million (£23.6 million) of which will be provided by the Barcelona Free Zone Consortium and €10 million ($11.8 million) by the Port of Barcelona for the transfer of the current BIT facilities, to meet Elian’s need for space to expand the terminal run by this company within the port precinct.
The new BIT will be built in section VI of the Ronda del Port, on a plot of 53,380 square metres (m²) that CZFB will run under a management concession for the next 50 years.
It will comprise two warehouses connected by a canopy, offices and services, and spaces for loading and unloading trucks, with a built-up area of 27,476.79 m².
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The facilities will incorporate solar thermal and photovoltaic systems and constant temperature and humidity control to guarantee optimal conditions for the green coffee beans stored there.
Consequently, the new BIT facilities will be designed and built specifically for coffee storage and logistics operations, respecting the highest quality and efficiency standards, and will be ready to accommodate increases in traffic over the coming years.
The project, which will take 36 months to complete, was unveiled today by Port of Barcelona president José Alberto Carbonell; Pere Navarro, Spanish Government special delegate to the Barcelona Free Zone Consortium; José Miguel Masiques, CEO of Masiques; and Marc Tauste, BIT manager.
Port of Barcelona President, José Alberto Carbonell, highlighted: “BIT is the leading green coffee terminal in southern Europe, and the new project that we are presenting today will allow it to maintain this leading role.
“This project is also an exercise in institutional co-operation. We have worked with the Barcelona Free Zone Consortium and with the companies involved —Masiques and SGS— to better organise the area and ensure that each activity enjoys the necessary conditions to grow and be competitive.”
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Pere Navarro, Spanish Government special delegate to the CZFB, said: “This is a forward-looking project that clearly shows how a desire to achieve objectives, alongside co-ordinated work between the public and private sectors, yields very positive results that generate opportunities for people and the surrounding area.
“Likewise, this action reiterates CZFB’s commitment to sustainable reindustrialisation and the generation of economic value and employment.”
For more information:
Port of Barcelona – https://www.portdebarcelona.cat/en
