La Bajadilla port expansion: contract signed, 750 berths planned

The Andalusian regional government has formalised the concession contract for Marbella's La Bajadilla port, clearing the way for a major expansion. According to SUR in English, the new operator, Marina Internacional de Marbella, takes over on 1 January 2027 for 40 years. The deal matters to boat owners, fishing crews and anyone who uses the beaches beside the port.

Key facts

• Investment: over €200 million, paid entirely by the concessionaire, with no cost to the regional government.
• Fee: the regional authority will receive €1 million a year.
• Capacity: berths rise from the current 268 to around 750, for vessels up to 70 metres and cruise ships.
• Timetable: eleven months to draw up the project and 36 months to build it.
• Operator: Marina Internacional de Marbella, a joint venture (UTE, a temporary consortium of firms).

What will be built

SUR in English says the project includes a 1.13-kilometre main breakwater protecting the port on its eastern and southern sides. A 450-metre counter-breakwater will shelter the western side. A jetty will channel the Primero stream, which is also intended to separate the watercourse from Cable beach and help preserve the sand.

On land, the plans cover technical areas, buildings and port services, commercial and leisure areas, and a car park of around 1,000 spaces. The newspaper says the larger berths will open the port to boaters with bigger vessels and greater financial capacity.

Fishing and beaches

The port must stay open during the works. Fishing activity will continue throughout and be integrated into the new facilities, according to SUR in English. The project also includes improvements to the Venus and La Bajadilla beaches.

A long road to this point

SUR in English describes the project as stalled for more than 15 years. The concession was originally awarded under the Andalusian government led by José Antonio Griñán to the Qatari sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Thani, but that project was never carried out. Marina Internacional de Marbella was ultimately the only bidder accepted in a tender launched in 2010.

Mario Muñoz-Atanet, the regional minister for development and mobility, said: “We have completed a complex administrative process - which even had to overcome legal proceedings - and which now allows us to embark on a new phase for the port of La Bajadilla and for Marbella.” The regional government regards the concession as “of the utmost importance to Andalucía’s port strategy”, the paper reported.

What happens next

With the contract finalised, the project-drafting period begins, followed by construction. Residents and port users can expect the site to remain operational throughout, as the contract requires.