Officials in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, have confirmed the construction of a new 2.5-billion-peso (US $117-million) cruise ship dock that will increase the city’s capacity to 140 ship arrivals per season.

The ports and merchant marine chief of the federal Ministry of Communication and Transportation (SCT), Héctor López Gutiérrez, made the announcement at a ceremony to honor the 140th anniversary of a local merchant marine school.

Sinaloa Governor Quirino Ordaz Coppel called the announcement “a great piece of news” because it will change the face of the city for international visitors who currently disembark among towers and water containers on the town’s municipal dock.

“What’s important is that [visitors] go home happy, that we have the infrastructure, the capacity, with a nice shopping center inside, like the best cruise tourism centers in the world,” he said.

He added that the decision is a good use of the port city’s resources, as Mazatlán has always lacked adequate cruise ship installations, leaving a less than favorable impression on the thousands of people who visit the city each season.

“That’s why I applaud this great decision,” he said.

López said that tenders for the project will open in the next few weeks and that they plan to make a decision on a contractor within three to four months.

The winning company will be given a year and a half to complete the project, setting a predicted opening date sometime in mid-2022.

The project will consist of three docks fitted to receive the most modern of cruise ships, tourist services and a shopping center inside the terminal. Tourism service providers will await visitors to inform them of the best in tours, beaches and activities that the city has to offer.

During a tour of the docks currently serving cruise ship passengers, Ordaz and López said that the city welcomed 452,000 cruise and ferry passengers in 2019.

A new terminal was announced last year by the previous federal government.

Source: El Universal (sp)