€200m Marbella Bajadilla marina rebuild planned for 2027 as Banus eyes multi-port growth

Andalucia’s ports agency has awarded a 40-year contract to rebuild Marbella’s La Bajadilla marina, unlocking more than €200 million of private work after 15 years of legal delay. Local consortium Marina Internacional de Marbella takes charge of the existing docks in January, then has 11 months to lock the detailed design and 36 months to build. First heavy plant is due in 2027.

Triple the berths, bigger yachts

La Bajadilla now holds about 268 moorings and is limited to modest craft. Plans lift that figure to roughly 750 berths and open the basin to vessels of up to 70 metres, including large yachts and some cruise calls. Engineers will add a 1.13 km main breakwater on the east and south, a 450 m western arm, and a spur to channel Arroyo Primero so sand stays on El Cable beach. Shops, a modernised fishing quay, a yard and about 1,000 parking spaces complete the package. Beach sand will be moved onto Venus, La Bajadilla, El Cable and El Faro as part of the coastal works.

Readers who followed earlier versions of this scheme can see how the numbers changed in Marbella’s new €400 million port investment. Separate council money is already going into another town harbour: Marbella council pumps €1 million into Virgen del Carmen Marina revamp.

Puerto Banus looks further than just one marina

West of town, Puerto Banus is not digging a bigger basin. Owners are finishing a €9 million swap of eight pontoons for floating decks by late 2026, then want a financial partner so the brand can run other marinas. Management has spoken of five sites by 2030 and a wider Mediterranean platform after that, plus a consulting arm that sells Banus know-how abroad. Concession papers run to 2066. Malaga’s own San Andres project is still chasing a similar luxury-berth market; background is here: Malaga marina project to rival Banus. Benalmadena is also upgrading, on a smaller budget: Benalmadena Marina €3.5 million transformation.

What happens next

Junta officials call the Bajadilla award an economic lift for eastern Marbella, where the fishing quarter and old town sit next to the docks. Official notice of the concession is on the Junta de Andalucia site; Banus sets out its consulting push at puerto-banus.com. If the 2027 start holds, the new marina should be trading around 2030.