The Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras has presented the Strategic Plan 2030 vision 2040, the document that will guide the evolution of the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa over the coming years. The roadmap arrives at a time of profound changes for the maritime, port, and logistics sector, conditioned by the transformation of supply chains, increasing competition in the Mediterranean, energy transition, European regulatory pressure, digitalization, and the need to provide critical infrastructures with greater security and resilience. Luis Núñez, head of Strategy and European Projects of the APBA and conductor of the event, defined it as "the culmination of more than a year of work, analysis, and, above all, shared listening and reflection with all parties involved," and articulated it around three questions: what kind of port it wants to be, how it will achieve that vision, and how the strategy will become a reality. "The strategic plan is not simply trying to predict the future; it is preparing for it," he summarized.
The president of the APBA, Gerardo Landaluce, has positioned the plan as a tool to manage the present and prepare for the future. "For us, it is essential to manage in an active, diligent, and flexible way everything that is the day-to-day, all that intense activity we are carrying out. But it is also essential to plan. To plan and visualize the future," he pointed out.
Landaluce specified that the document should not be interpreted as an internal strategy of the institution but as a planning of the ports it manages. "The Strategic Plan is not the strategic plan of the Port Authority; it is the strategic plan of the ports managed by the Port Authority," he stated, referring to Algeciras and Tarifa.
The previous planning, with a horizon of 2020, has served as a basis over the last few years, but the APBA considers its update necessary due to the acceleration of several trends affecting the sector. These include international competition, the growth in the size of vessels, fiscal and regulatory pressure, the evolution of traffic, energy transition, security, cyber risks, and changes stemming from global geopolitics.
The new plan has been developed through a participatory process in which more than a hundred professionals have participated. Landaluce defined it as a "tremendously participatory" work, with contributions from the container sector, roadway traffic, bay services, new fuels, traditional bunkering, and other segments of the port community. The process included interviews, analysis sessions, and working groups with internal and external agents.
The president has insisted that the document is not closed with its public presentation. "It is a process that continues to be open. It is not a closed planning," he indicated. In that same vein, he explained that the goal is "to provide ourselves with a roadmap to face the future ahead with greater guarantees of success."
A strategy for a port with new functions
The Strategic Plan starts from a central idea: ports can no longer be understood solely as infrastructures intended to facilitate the commercial exchange of goods. That function remains essential, but is expanded with new responsibilities linked to energy, security, strategic autonomy, sustainability, digitalization, and integration with the territory.
Landaluce explained that ports attend "not only to the usual activity" as facilitators of commercial traffic but also to "new needs from an energy perspective." At this point, he linked the role of the Bay of Algeciras with Europe's energy autonomy, which he considers part of the strategic autonomy of the European Union.
The president has also placed security as one of the main lines of the plan, not only from a physical perspective but also in relation to cyberattacks, the fight against illegal activities, illegal goods, and the ability to maintain the continuity of essential services. "That concept of resilience has also been highlighted as a fundamental strategic line," he pointed out.
During his speech, Landaluce recalled the evolution of the port in recent decades. He cited the reference of June 2002, when 50 million tons were celebrated, and compared it with the current situation. "Today we are at double, already reaching one hundred million tons," he noted. Nevertheless, he made it clear that the new document does not respond to a logic of unlimited growth. "This strategic plan is not a developmental strategic plan," he asserted.
The APBA proposes a development "much more balanced" and "much more sustainable," taking into account the physical environment in which port activity is developed. Landaluce indicated that the vision of the plan seeks a sustainable development "from an economic, social, and environmental perspective."
The document redefines the mission, vision, and values of the APBA. The mission focuses on leading an efficient, competitive, safe, sustainable, and global outreach port, logistics, and industrial offer, generating added value and linked to the regional economy and employment. The vision places the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa as an intercontinental logistics platform and a port and intermodal node in southern Europe, with value-added activities, energy transition, and sustainable and innovative maritime and port services.
Carlos García, director of Infrastructure and Transport Consulting at KPMG, presented the slogan that summarizes the new strategic proposal: "Beacon of innovation. Bridge to Europe. Gateway to the world." According to him, this formulation aims to reflect an evolution from a traditionally operation-centered management to a position with greater long-term vision, proactive planning, and strategic identity.
The concept of a beacon is linked to innovation, digitalization, and sustainability; the bridge, to the connection between continents, markets, and economies; and the door, to the port's capacity as a physical and digital platform for access to the local economy, the region, and global markets.
The structure of the plan is organized into three major lines: growth based on efficiency and improving competitiveness; decarbonization and proactive environmental management; and institutional strengthening with social commitment. Under this architecture, 14 strategic objectives, 60 tactical objectives, and 215 operational objectives are deployed, with indicators and responsible areas to turn the strategy into measurable actions.
García pointed out that the strategy will only make sense if it can be translated into daily management. "The strategic plan has no value if it cannot be implemented effectively," he stated while explaining that the objective structure must be accompanied by governance capable of transforming initiatives into real projects.
Competitiveness, Strait, containers, and rail
One of the major blocks of the plan focuses on the competitiveness of the port's traditional traffic and improving its operational capacity. In this area, the Strait traffic plays a priority role through the Hercules Plan, designed to adapt the infrastructure to the evolution of passenger, vehicle, and truck movements between Europe and North Africa.
The document provides for the comprehensive transformation of La Galera dock, a new Maritime Station in Algeciras integrated with the urban front, the increase from 8 to 10 ro-pax berths, 15 additional hectares within the Port of Algeciras, and 30 hectares in external areas for Strait traffic. It also contemplates 800,000 trucks, one million by 2035, the expansion of the Border Control Post in 2028, 7.5 million passengers, a new governance model, and the implementation of the first green line Europe-Africa between Tarifa and Tangier city.
The Director-General of the APBA, José Luis Hormaechea, explained that the exercise consists of crossing the plan's transversal objectives with the traditional business areas of the port, to visualize where the port system should be placed in the 2030 environment. "What we wanted to do is cross it with the traditional aspects of this port, which are the business areas," he stated.
Hormaechea clarified that the 2030 horizon must be interpreted flexibly since "some things will come a little earlier, others a little later." In his presentation, he linked the fulfillment of these goals with the achievement of the plan's overall objectives.
Regarding the Strait traffic, the Director-General has been clear in describing the surface needs. "We need a lot of space," he asserted while referring to internal actions to gain capacity, modify roads, and enable external export terminals. As he explained, the first 15 hectares linked to this process are very close to their availability.
The Port of Tarifa also has a specific function in this strategy, especially due to its role in the future green connection between Europe and Africa. Landaluce indicated that Tarifa will be "the first port" to host that green link between two continents, in collaboration with Baleària, with expected crossings in 2027 for the electric maritime line between Tarifa and Tangier Ville.
In the container sector, the plan proposes completing phase B of Isla Verde Exterior, improving drafts and modernizing APM Terminals Algeciras, with a capacity of 7.5 million TEUs and infrastructure planning that allows reaching 9 million TEUs by 2035. The anticipated traffic scenario is set at 6 million TEUs, with 5 million transshipment and one million import-export. The document also includes a 30% increase in reefer traffic, associated with refrigerated goods and higher added value.
Landaluce has linked these actions with the growth in vessel size. He recalled that the sector is already working with container ships of 24,000 and 25,000 TEUs and that the port must maintain its capacity to serve "the great giants of the sea." In this context, he mentioned the expansion and optimization of terminals, especially TTI Algeciras, with a project involving 150 million euros in investment, as well as the planned actions in APM Terminals Algeciras for improving drafts.
Rail intermodality is another relevant axis. The plan includes the expansion of the T1 rail terminal to four tracks of 750 meters, the expansion of T2 to three tracks of 550 meters, the technical installation of the last mile in Botafuegos, the doubling of operational capacity, and a rail highway operational by 2028, with a goal of 10% of the Strait traffic.
Hormaechea has described the railroad as an "absolutely critical and basic" sector for the port, especially due to its capacity to improve the competitiveness of import-export traffic and to connect the Bay of Algeciras with major inland logistics corridors.
The Bay also appears as a key operational space for maritime services, with the external anchorage for maritime traffic safety, optimization of anchorages, extension of the East Dock in Isla Verde Exterior, and maintaining leadership in the supply of traditional and alternative fuels.
Digitalization and innovation complete this line of competitiveness. The plan sets objectives such as 100% traceability of operational processes through advanced digital technologies, prediction and prescription of 100% of operational events through artificial intelligence, automation of internal procedures, digital integration with global supply chains, and participation of more than 40 companies from the port community in joint initiatives.
Hormaechea has summarized this transversality with one idea: "Digitalization affects everything, affects the Strait traffic, the container, ordinary management." For the APBA, it is not an isolated line but a necessary condition to improve operations, reduce waiting times, and gain capacity without solely depending on new infrastructures.
Energy transition, security, and relationship with the territory
The second major line of the plan focuses on decarbonization and proactive environmental management. In this section, the Green Energy Hub appears as one of the main pieces of the strategy. Landaluce has explained that its aim is to "support, accompany, and promote" initiatives inside and outside the port domain to materialize the energy transition through new fuels.
According to the details, these are projects with investments exceeding 7 billion euros, not only in the port area or the Bay of Algeciras but also in the Cádiz province. However, he has warned of a significant limitation for developing these opportunities: electrical capacity. "The need to provide more electrical capacity to our region and the province itself and generally to Andalusia is fundamental," he asserted.
The plan defines the Green Energy Hub as an internationally recognized energy node for new alternative fuels. It includes coordination with the Association of Large Industries of the Campo de Gibraltar and the port community, reorganization of spaces in the public port domain in the area of Los Barrios, expansion of maritime infrastructure, diversification of activities associated with offshore wind in Campamento, green corridors Asia-Europe-America via Algeciras, availability of 40 MW of additional electric power, and the realization of the OPS project in Algeciras and Tarifa, for electric supply to ships at the dock.
Proactive environmental management is specified in measurable goals: implementation of the climate change adaptation plan, biodiversity protection in infrastructure actions, 70% reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions, 50% reduction in scope 3 emissions, 50 companies adhering to the Green Strategy, 35% reduction in water footprint, 25% increase in renewable energy production, 50% reuse of materials generated in port works, and 50% of vessels adhering to the environmental bonus system.
Security is formulated in a broad sense, with the approval of a Safe and Protected Port Strategy that includes port protection, industrial security, cybersecurity, resilience and business continuity plans, road safety and mobility, emergency management, quality certifications, and drone location systems. This dimension connects with the port being considered a critical infrastructure and the need to ensure the continuity of essential services.
The third line of the plan addresses institutional strengthening with social commitment. This block includes the new fishing market and premises for shipowners in Algeciras, the commencement and development of cruise traffic in Algeciras and Tarifa, the Maritime Lake project, the plan for the conservation of historical heritage, the improvement and promotion of nautical-sports facilities in La Línea, Puente Mayorga, El Saladillo, and Tarifa, and the integration of 25 hectares of port-city in the municipalities.
The plan also incorporates another 25 hectares of port coastline that have been landscape-recovered, environmental regeneration actions on the beaches of El Rinconcillo and Puente Mayorga-Campamento, the environmental and landscape recovery of the coasts of Guadarranque and La Caleta, and the organization of 100% of the public port domain through the Delimitation of Port Spaces and Uses and special plans.
In the field of human resources, the roadmap proposes an adjusted workforce to needs, training of 100% of personnel in technological and environmental capacities, evolution of parity according to the equality plan, professional integration of people with disabilities, implementation of the mobility plan, and collaborative projects with the university and other entities for professional training in the sector.
The Strategic Plan 2030 vision 2040 is configured as a management tool to organize priorities, guide investments, and coordinate the Port Authority with its port community, administrations, and the territory. Its development will affect the main traffics of the port, the railway connection, the energy transition, digitalization, security, spatial organization, and the relationship with the municipalities of the Bay and Tarifa.