The public company Puertos Canarios, under the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing of the Government of the Canary Islands, has awarded the contract for the comprehensive repair of the reception dock of the Port of Caleta de Sebo, on the island of La Graciosa, "which is barely used due to its poor condition." The works, awarded to Diseño Desarrollos e Instalaciones regulares S.L., have a budget of 232,084 euros and an execution period of five months.
According to the regional Executive, the current Caleta de Sebo reception dock and the piles that support it, installed in the 80s of the last century, are currently "very affected," affecting "its functionality and safety," so that, as of today, this dock is "almost inoperative."
For this reason, and in order to continue providing a quality service to both professionals who carry out their activity within the port area and other users and visitors, it is considered essential to undertake a comprehensive repair of the same to avoid greater consequences from the point of view of structural integrity and user safety.
The reception dock of the port of La Graciosa is the one located on the breakwater, entering the port, looking to the right. It is an installation four meters wide by 120 meters long, although after the last storm a module was lost and it has been reduced to 108 meters. It is a heavy structure fixed with 19 piles and two beams at the head designed to dock large vessels.
"The continued exposure to waves has caused that, over the years, the dock has weakened to the point that some piles have broken or are close to it, and that the aluminum structure and elastomers (neoprene blocks) that join them have collapsed in different points of the platform," is stated from the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing of the Government of the Canary Islands.
These works will consist of the replacement of the current dock with a new one of 120 meters long and two meters wide, closer to the breakwater, and more flexible, calculated for the docking of lighter boats. With the material recovered from the existing dock, a dock without services of 36 meters will be executed in the counter-dike where passing boats can dock. For the execution of all these works, the awarded company is granted a period of five months from the signing of the contract.
The first modules of docks in the sports dock were installed in the late 80s of the last century, and later, between 1994 and 1996, half of the current modules dedicated to recreational boats were placed. With respect to the typology of the mooring system, this installation is composed of floating docks anchored to the bottom by means of driven steel piles and equipped with 'fingers' of different sizes depending on the places they accommodate.
General improvement of port facilities
The port of Caleta del Sebo is considered a port of General Interest of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands since its main activity is to connect the islands of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, both in terms of passenger and cargo transport. For this reason, the Ministry plans, in addition to this intervention in the reception dock, a "more complete" action in its port area in order to renovate, expand and integrate it into the urban fabric of the town, considering it the "authentic gateway" for visitors to the island.
This port is part of the Transinsular Transport Axis of the Canary Islands, which integrates land and sea modes through intermodal nodes, in order to constitute a structuring axis of growth, accessibility and trade of isolated island markets, in a single market accessible to producers and consumers. Likewise, it is highlighted that the island of La Graciosa has experienced "an important tourist boom" during the last decade, being usually visited by 350,000 people per year (before the health crisis). Many of these visitors arrive on board recreational boats, so, in the opinion of the regional Executive, this type of port interventions are "essential."
