The port in Palma de Mallorca has extended the Pier Ponent so it can accommodate larger cruise ships that are visiting the city. The new pier is 359 metres long and 30 metres wide and took two years to build, beginning in 2010. The current pier extends to 443 metres which means that the combined space will now be able to dock four large cruise ships.
Palma has become a very popular destination for cruises in recent years and the extension of the pier will accommodate not only larger ships, but also more vessels. Around one million passengers come to Mallorca by cruise ship each year and Palma's port is expecting around 449 cruise ships to visit the city in 2013.
Palma City Council have made efforts to promote Palma as an ideal location for day visits by cruise ships. This has included allowing shops to open seven days a week along the Passeig Born and Avenguida Jaume III, which are only a short walk or bus ride from the port. These are two of the most popular shopping streets in Palma and include a range of shops such as El Corte Ingles, Zara, Massimo Dutti, Adolfo Dominguez and Luis Vitton.
The extension of the pier has been the biggest investment that the Port Authority has done for several years; they spent €33 million on this project. The build was completed in November of last year and they are now awaiting the work to be approved by the Port Authority before it can start operation.
In the last two years the port in Palma has seen some of the worlds largest ships such as the 338 meter long Independence of the Seas. With the latest super-cruisers reaching lengths of 362 metres, this extension to the pier has come not a moment too soon.
