The Port of Las Palmas has inaugurated its new cruise terminal, a state-of-the-art infrastructure that, with 14,000 square meters spread over two floors, becomes the largest in Europe dedicated to this segment. The event was attended by the president of the Port Authority of Las Palmas, Beatriz Calzada; the port director, Francisco Javier Trujillo; the president of Ports of the State, Gustavo Santana; the president and CEO of Global Ports Holding, Mehmet Kutman; the regional director of West Med of Global Ports, Francesc Grau; the CEO of SEPCAN, Sergio Socas; the mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Carolina Darias; the president of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales; and the councilor for Public Works, Housing, and Mobility of the Government of the Canary Islands, Pablo Rodríguez.
The new terminal, managed by Global Ports Canary Islands, has required a total investment of over 38 million euros, of which 34 million has been contributed by the space concessionaire and 6.3 million by the Port Authority of Las Palmas. The building has three boarding bridges and the capacity to operate up to four vessels simultaneously, allowing for operations of both transit calls and base port cruises. The four docking areas reach 1,587 linear meters with a draft of 11 meters, a configuration designed to cater to large operations and respond to the expected growth of cruise traffic in the coming years.
In addition to the facilities of the main building, there is an outdoor area of 17,800 square meters equipped with pedestrian zones, landscaped areas, and a recovered palm grove as access to the boulevard, aimed at facilitating the integration of the terminal with the urban fabric of the city. Inside, the terminal incorporates dining areas, waiting zones, commercial spaces, and criteria for universal accessibility.
The project has been developed following environmental and innovative criteria, incorporating recycled materials, energy efficiency systems, state-of-the-art technologies, and solutions respectful of the environment, in line with the sustainability strategy of the Port Authority of Las Palmas and Global Ports Canary Islands.
The terminal enters into service at a particularly favorable moment for the cruise sector in the Canary Islands. The ports of the Port Authority of Las Palmas closed 2025 surpassing two million cruise passengers for the first time, with a total of 2.1 million passengers and a market share of 44.3% during a record year for the entire port system. The sustained confidence of major shipping companies in the sector, along with the progressive incorporation of new lines and new calls, has helped establish the Port of Las Palmas as one of the major nodes of cruise tourism in Europe.
This evolution has also been accompanied by the designation of the Port of Las Palmas as the venue for Seatrade Med 2026, the largest European event in the cruise industry, which will be held on September 16 and 17 and will return to the Canary Islands ten years after its last edition in the archipelago.
Beatriz Calzada pointed out during the event that "the official inauguration of this terminal represents much more than the launch of a new infrastructure" and added that "it confirms that the Port of Las Palmas is prepared to continue growing, offering services of the highest quality and responding to the confidence that major international shipping lines place every year in our port and in the Canary Islands as a destination." The President of the Port Authority also indicated that the terminal "is born with the vocation to become an open space for the public" and a "meeting point that projects a modern image of the Canary Islands."
For his part, the President and CEO of Global Ports Holding, Mehmet Kutman, stated that the company "strongly believes in the long-term potential of the Canary Islands as one of the main cruise destinations in the Atlantic" and that the new terminal "represents an important step in further strengthening the destination's role in the international cruise market." Kutman emphasized collaboration with the Port Authority and with local partner SEPCAN, and recalled that Global Ports Holding, as the largest cruise port operator in the world, maintains its commitment to invest in high-quality port infrastructures and generate long-term value for the destinations in which it operates.
The regional director of West Med of Global Ports, Francesc Grau, indicated that the opening of the terminal "marks an important moment for Las Palmas" and that the project "reflects the strong collaboration between the Port Authority of Las Palmas, our local partner SEPCAN, and Global Ports Holding to offer a modern and sustainable facility."
The president of Ports of the State, Gustavo Santana, pointed out that the new terminal "is part of the commitment of Ports of the State and the state-owned port system to infrastructures and port services that are world leaders, but also to sustainability and innovation," and emphasized "the importance of collaboration to continue building the future of our ports."
The inauguration culminates one of the most relevant projects for the port system of the province of Las Palmas in recent years and places the Port of Las Palmas among the great European references in dealing with cruise traffic, at a time when the Canary Islands consolidate their position in international routes in the sector.