Algeciras to receive first cruise calls in 2027

The port of Algeciras is set to receive its first nine cruise ships in 2027 as part of an effort to diversify the economy and promote tourism in the Campo de Gibraltar. 

Nicolás Martínez Andión, the port’s head of Business Development and Marketing, confirmed the plans to Cadena SER saying that Algeciras had been preparing for the port visits for several months. 

Mr Martínez Andión said: “The cruise sector has not been a priority sector for us until now, but the conditions are there to be able to promote this type of traffic and that is what we are doing.” 

“We are doing it very prudently and we want to do it very well.” 

This new strategy has been developed in collaboration with tour operators, shipping agents and cruise lines, and will also include the Port of Tarifa, where work is under way to adapt a berth at the Punta del Santo quay to receive boutique cruise ships and mega yachts. 

“We believe that [the Campo de Gibraltar] has a lot of potential and, of course, the existing infrastructure at our ports, both at the Port of Algeciras and that of Tarifa.” 

The aim is to generate an economic benefit to towns and businesses across the Campo area, as is already the case in nearby cities such as Cádiz and Gibraltar. 

For now, two liners have appeared to have confirmed Algeciras as a port of call. 

The first is the Oceania Cruises’ Oceania Marina (66,084 tonnes, 624 rooms) which will dock on October 3, 2027, on its way from Lisbon to Barcelona. 

The second, Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Splendor (55,498 tonnes, 748 guests) will arrive on November 9, 2027, also travelling from Portugal to the Catalan capital.  

A SHIFT IN FOCUS

Historically, the main focus of the Port of Algeciras has been cargo and it has seen significant tonnages pass through so far this year, with activity in the second four-month period of the year 10% higher than in the first four months. 

This brings the total for the year up to the end of August to 67.5 million tonnes, 0.1% lower than in the same period in 2025. 

Of that, containerised cargo comprised 3,155,568 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), up 0.8%. 

Refrigerated import and export cargo increased by 4%, with Costa Rica, Peru and Egypt the most common source of imports and the United States, Dominican Republic and Brazil were the main destinations for exports. 

Pineapples, avocados and bananas were among the most common products handled, while stone fruit including apricots, peaches and cherries, pork and dairy products accounted for exports. 

These accumulated statistics for imports and exports suggest that the summer allowed the Port of Algeciras to recover following interruptions caused by winter storms. 

There was also an increase in the number of road haulage vehicles using the port’s ferry services, with 359,306 trucks crossing the Strait by August, up 0.9%. Of these, 337,434 used the Algeciras-Tangier Med route, up 0.7%. 

The statistics for passenger ferry crossings are dominated by Operación Paso del Estrecho, with a total of 2,893,145 passengers and 638,698 vehicles embarked and disembarked through the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa between mid-June and mid-September. 

Overall, passenger numbers fell by 4.3%, while vehicle numbers decreased by 3%. 

The Algeciras-Ceuta route was heavily affected by the migration crisis, recording a 15% fall in passenger numbers as from the end of July. 

Tarifa, meanwhile, moved from fourth most popular port to second when considering the crossings to the port of Tangier Ville.