The Mexican ITM Group has secured a 25‑year concession with the Spanish Moroccan Port Authority of Melilla to build a cruise terminal alongside the mineral loading dock and to refurbish 10 adjoining commercial premises at Noray Marina.
The company said it intended to invest around €1.8 mill in these maritime developments following a strategic assessment that deemed the project aligned with its growth objectives.
The Cancun-based and family‑owned ITM Group specialises in real estate developments, hospitality and cruise ports.
Its regional portfolio spans key Caribbean cruise facilities, such as Costa Maya (Mexico), Taino Bay/Port Puerto (Dominica), Port Roatán (Honduras), and Port Cabo Rojo (Dominica).
Melilla’s Port Authority chair, Manuel Ángel Quevedo, described the project as transformative, noting that many of the marina’s commercial spaces have remained unused for decades and that their refurbishment is expected to generate employment and revenue.
He emphasised that the passenger control building will occupy a small adjacent site carefully designed to avoid casting shadows over the historic loading dock, itself a protected cultural heritage site.
Under the new agreement, current operator ETM will transfer its rights exclusively pertaining to cruise ships at the mineral dock -and on an exceptional basis at the Northeast‑2 and Northeast‑3 docks for larger vessels – to ITM’s subsidiary MDT for this project.
The concession covers about 1,465.95 sq m across the 10 commercial units and an additional 463 sq m designated for the passenger terminal building.
Work is expected to begin later this year, with completion anticipated by summer 2026.
In its initial phase, the project will refurbish long-unused premises to accommodate restaurants, souvenir shops, and basic passenger services.
With Melilla’s cruise traffic rising—from some 4,000 passengers in 2023 to an expected 9,000 in 2024 – the Port Authority projected substantial growth with over 80,000 annual cruise visitors by 2027, rising to 150,000 by 2030.
