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19th to 21st of May 2026
19th, 20th & 21st
MAY 2026

- CONFIRMED DATES -

Barreras builts the biggest ship of the Vigo's naval history

The Port of Vigo will cede to the shipyard 200 meters docking on the repair pier of to finnish the ship, which construction begun in Portugal. J. CARNEIRO (FARO DE VIGO) The shipyard Hijos de J. Barreras may finished the biggest ship ever build in la Ría in Vigo. The Port of Vigo will cede to the shipyard 200 meters docking on the repair pier of Bouzas for 6 months in order to fit out and finish off the Abel Matutes, a ferry of 193 meters long which costs 130 million euro and which will be delivery to the shipping company Balearia on may of next year. The Autoridad Portuaria's (Authority of the Port) president, Mrs. Corina Porro and the leader of the naval company, Mr. José Francisco González Viñas, signed last week an agreement according to it the Port have arranged to provide - besides the pier - the necessary services for its construction us water and electricity.
Barreras begun the construction of the Abel Matutes, the forth of a series to Balearia, in a shipyard from the Portuguese city of Setubal because of the lack of space in its own installations. The use of the repair pier of Bouzas will now allows to the shipyard to employ 600 people approximately in Vigo for "5 or 6 months". "The ship, because of its dimensions, length, draft, breadth... is the biggest one built in the naval history of the Ría de Vigo", says the president of Barreras.
The ferry arrived last week to the trans-atlantics terminal of the Port, escorted by the tug boats Charuca Silveira and Ria de Vigo and translated to the repair pier of Bouzas.
The contract signed with the Mediterranean ship company set the delivery day on May 2010, in order to begin to operate in the line Barcelona - Palma de Mallorca - Ibiza. The president of Barreras remembered that in the past "a lot of ships had been cancelled because of the lack of space" whereas now "a new stable alternative of future had been open".
The responsible for Barreras bets for being "very prudent" in view of the workload forecast for 2010, but he specified being "moderately optimistic". Furthermore, after remember the bet of his shipyard for the constructions of ships with added value as seismic boats or ferries, he emphasized that with the agreement reached with the Port, in case of new orders bring the shipyard installations to a standstill, they might resort to the new alternative in order not to turn down new contracts".
As far as she is concerned, the president of Autoridad portuaria, Mrs. Corina Porro, emphasized that to built this ship more than 750.000 work hours and considered that it is a "opportunity" in crisis time for the city and Galicia. "The Port must collaborate", she says. The naval sector of Vigo will finished this year with a total of 16 million hours that will employed 10.000 people. Of the total amount of hours the 40% approximately - 6 million more or less- belongs to Hijos de J. Barreras.