The expansion works of the port of Playa Blanca, which are being carried out by the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing of the Government of the Canary Islands, are entering their "final stretch", and the new dock is already operational for the two main passenger traffic shipping companies, Fred. Olsen and Naviera Armas.
Fred.Olsen Express began operating in the new port "since September 16", while Naviera Armas joined this Wednesday, December 22, to the new docking line of Playa Blanca. According to the Port management, one of the main advantages of this new area of the port is the possibility that the shipping companies that currently operate will have, "to dock the boats at the same time, a maneuver that was not possible in the port today."
The managing director of Puertos Canarios, Manuel Ortega, explains that after the incorporation of Naviera Armas to the new docking line, the expansion works of the port of Playa Blanca are now focused on "the reorganization of maritime traffic and maneuvering areas of the fishing dock". “With this action we enter the final stretch of the work to focus the work on everything related to urbanization and building work, in addition to executing the works of the fishing dock. It is a very important project with Feder funds and the Government of the Canary Islands”, adds Ortega.
The shipping companies' boats make the journey that covers the route between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura daily, transferring people and goods between both islands. They add from the Port management that thanks to this new location in the port of Playa Blanca, the companies "can increase the frequency of the maritime route that connects the islands, offering resident users and visitors a multitude of schedules to travel".
The new port gains in square meters, going from the current 91,470 square meters "to 205,569 square meters", and from the Port itself they assure that it gives the new infrastructure "more space for better operability, offering travelers and visitors greater comfort and accessibility to the new facilities". With the transfer of the shipping companies, it is possible to "segregate the traffic and maneuvering areas of passenger and sports ships, increase the level of services to ships and users, organize the land service area and increase the attraction for visitors."
The expansion project of the Port of Playa Blanca, an action co-financed at 85% within the framework of the ERDF Operational Program of the Canary Islands (2014-2020), will be "the first sustainable port of Puertos Canarios", opening a new stage in the port infrastructures of the Archipelago and the one with the highest traffic in the entire autonomous network of Puertos Canarios, an entity dependent on the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing of the Canary Islands Executive.
