September 23, 2011
The Salamanca Group, London-based investment and risk management group company, has taken over Marina Port Vell and plans to renovate it beginning this fall.
The marina, which was the original inner harbor of Barcelona, will target winter storage for superyachts 70-90 meters with a few slips available for yachts up to 180m. It will eventually include 150 berths, about half for sale with a 24-year concession and half for lease.
“In the heart of Barcelona, we believe we have an absolute gem in Port Vell,” Martin Bellamy, CEO of Salamanca Group, said at a press conference yesterday. “When we were going our market research, we really did struggle to find another facility in the center of a dynamic city.”
Salamanco is keeping existing managers in place, including Gabriel de Sandoval, president and general manager of the marina for years, and is building relationships with the shipyard MB82 and painting company Pinmar to create a “marine cluster” in the heart of Barcelona.
The renovation is expected to break ground on Nov. 15, just after the Barcelona Boat Show, and open early next fall.
Facilities will meet the industry’s 21st century standards, said Norma Trease, director of marketing for the project. Fuel, water, waste and power will all be what yachts of this size expect and require, based on interviews with dozens of captains and owners, she said.
The marina originally opened for the Olympics in 1992. The refit will include Spanish Cay, and three of the six concrete docks will be floating.
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