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The Catania Cruise Port has added a 3rd pier for cruise ships as port authorities try to make the Sicilian vacation spot a high Mediterranean cruise port.
The brand new pier is massive and deep sufficient to welcome a number of trendy mega-ships without delay, which can improve the port’s capability considerably.
Because the Italian port continues to try for progress, a large new car parking zone has additionally been designed with tour buses and elevated passenger site visitors in thoughts.
Whereas widespread cruise locations like Barcelona, Spain, are actively working to restrict cruise operations with terminal reductions, one other Mediterranean cruise port is doing the other.
Certainly, the Catania Cruise Port, which is one among 4 main cruise ports in Sicily, is definitely increasing its capability.
As of July 22, 2025, the renovation of a 3rd berth for Catania, generally known as Pier 25, has formally been accomplished and considerably will increase the port’s capability.
World Ports Holding (GPH), which manages the port, had the work accomplished as half of a bigger breakwater venture.
A newly upgraded 405-meter (or 1,328 foot) quay was created whereas a water depth of 9 meters (or 29.5 toes) was additionally established.
This implies the berth is accessible to the largest mega-ships on the excessive seas and permits for a number of ships to dock concurrently.
“This was a basic intervention to carry the dock in keeping with at the moment’s operational requirements,” stated Francesco Di Sarcina, engineer and president of the Japanese Sicilian Sea Port System Authority.
“We’ve restored the marina edge, recertified the bollards, upgraded the fenders, and—most critically—leveled the seabed, which had change into uneven on account of sediment shifts. Sustaining this depth by routine monitoring can be important as cruise exercise will increase,” Di Sarcina elaborated.
The model new Pier 25 connects to the port’s central pier, which is at the moment the longest and the scheduled web site for a future cruise terminal.
The brand new pier additionally joins up with the marina adjoining to the breakwater, the place further work is anticipated to be accomplished by early 2026.
Supporting Future Progress
GPH, which is the most important unbiased cruise port operator on the planet, has set a purpose to extend cruise tourism and set up Catania as a high Japanese Mediterranean vacation spot.
Not solely has the Mediterranean retained its rank because the second hottest cruise market globally, however Catania particularly has been rising in demand as a result of it serves as a gateway to beautiful sights like Mount Etna, Taormina, and Syracuse.
“The addition of a 3rd operational berth represents a serious leap in our capacity to handle bigger passenger volumes and welcome next-generation ships,” said Raffaella Del Prete, Basic Supervisor of GPH Italian Cruise Port.
“This venture is a tangible instance of profitable collaboration between GPH and the Port System Authority and displays our shared imaginative and prescient of reworking Catania Cruise Port into a number one Mediterranean vacation spot,” he continued.
Learn Additionally: When Is the Finest Time to Go on a Cruise for Every Area?
Presently, the Catania Cruise Terminal welcomes roughly 250,000 visitors yearly, however that quantity is anticipated to develop with the port’s improved capability.
Cruise monitoring knowledge exhibits that the port is anticipating over 102 cruise calls between the height 2025 cruise season of March to November, which additionally alerts progress. That is up from the 98 ship visits recorded for 2024.
The cruise port has additionally constructed new infrastructure on land so as to help the larger numbers that might come from Pier 25.
For instance, a brand new 7,000-square-meter (or 75,347 sq. toes) car parking zone has been designed to accommodate tour buses for shore excursions and elevated passenger site visitors.
In Could of 2025, port authorities additionally put in a symbolic peace emblem on the home windows of the cruise terminal as a logo of their dedication to selling hospitality, in addition to unity and cultural integration.
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