The Mega-Yacht Battle of Barcelona

The surge of mega-yachts during the mid-2000s left a huge problem in its wake: too many giant yachts and not enough places to park them. (You read about billionaires fighting for good yacht-parking spots here).

As a result, marina developers around the world have been trying to build mega-yacht berths as fast as they can — from Montenegro to Monaco. Now, a proposed marina in Barcelona has sparked a bitter battle over how the floating super-rich may damage a historic community.

A London-based company is planning to turn a marina in Old Barcelona into a home for mega-yachts. And not just any mega-yachts. This marina would be Abramovich-ready, catering to boats up 590 feet long.

According to articles in the British press, locals say the giant yachts docked in the marina will tower Godzilla-like over their famously quaint Spanish neighborhood. The marina will also include a giant wall for security for the yachts, further degrading the area.

Some worry that in addition to the wall and ships, the waves of super-rich yachters will price out the locals – replacing barrio grocers with Louis Vuitton shops and $100-a-plate cafes.

“I’ve lived here all my life and the barrio has a special identity, precisely because so many working-class people have always lived here,” a 68-year-old retiree told the Observer. “But this will price us out, turning the port into a place only for the very rich and changing things for ever.”

Of course, those mega-yachts will also unload lots of big spenders, which can surely help the neighborhood. The fear about an increase in rowdy tourists may also be overblown, since mega-yacht owners and guests tend to be a private group.

Still, the mega-yacht battle of Barcelona echoes similar controversies throughout Europe as the super-rich Russians and Middle-Easterners become a (literally) larger presence.