Beatriz Calzada, president of the Port Authority of Las Palmas, which includes the Port of Arrecife, visited the port of the capital of Lanzarote this week to see in situ the incorporation of a second tugboat that will allow the entry of any ship regardless of its dimensions or the state of the sea.
In an interview with Radio Lanzarote, the first woman to preside over the Port Authority of Las Palmas in its more than 100 years of history, she predicts a promising future for the economic activity of the Port of Arrecife.
- Will the two tugboats that the Port of Arrecife now has allow any ship to dock in the capital of Lanzarote?
Exactly, through a public tender in 2020, a towing service was guaranteed for Arrecife under the same conditions as in any port of the Port Authority.
Now the second tugboat is being incorporated, which, indeed, will allow no ship to be left without entering the port due to bad weather or the complexity of the maneuvers required to dock.
This will especially help cruise ships that call at Arrecife, as some insurers were having problems because this second tugboat was missing.
"Thanks to the two tugboats, there will no longer be ships that have to turn around or have to go to Fuerteventura"
- The tugboats are from the Boluda company, aren't they?
Yes, Boluda won the public tender, whose specifications established that all ports belonging to the Port Authority had to have the towing service guaranteed under the same conditions.
This second tugboat in Arrecife guarantees that with south wind or any type of problem, ships enter and do not have to turn around or go to Fuerteventura.
- The CEO of Boluda has said that these tugboats reduce CO2 emissions…
Indeed, that is the second reason to be happy. Boluda's tugboats are prepared to connect with the electrification of the port, which allows them to turn off their engines and thus reduce emissions.
"The Port of Arrecife has enough muscle for more activity"
- The activity of the Authority's ports decreased in October, should we be concerned?
In the entire port system, not only the Spanish one, but worldwide, part of the cargo traffic is decreasing.
The Authority's ports are responding well. There are other ports that are suffering much, much greater falls. This is due to a worldwide inertia, a relocation of the market.
According to the analyses we have done, we are not worried, but we are vigilant.
- And specifically the Port of Arrecife?
The Port of Arrecife in particular worries us even less, as it is growing. At the cruise level, for example, it is rising spectacularly.
It is a destination very demanded by shipping companies and we are precisely working on improving it to attract new businesses. The port of Arrecife has enough muscle for more activity.
It was a long-standing demand, not only from the Port of Arrecife, but also from the Chamber of Commerce, the Cabildo and the City Council.
"It is impossible for the cruise ships that enter the Port of Arrecife to enter the Port of Playa Blanca"
- Are you afraid of the competition from the Port of Playa Blanca, which also wants to attract cruise ships?
I don't really think it's competition, because the cruise ships that enter the port of Arrecife cannot enter the Port of Playa Blanca.
Arrecife receives cruise ships that can carry between 4,000 and 6,000 passengers. In Playa Blanca they talk more about boutique cruises, of a much smaller dimension.
- The Government Delegation is going to reinforce border inspection this Christmas at the Port of Arrecife, is there no possibility that the reinforcement will be extended throughout the year?
That is a demand that we ourselves make to the Government Delegation. The Port Authority is the first interested in this service being sufficiently equipped throughout the year to avoid delays or bottlenecks.
