Historically, the Port of Arrecife has been crucial for the survival of our people. Its origin dates back to the time when it was a refuge for artisanal fishing, but with the development of tourism and commerce on the island, it has become a hub for economic development and a strategic enclave for the transit of goods and cruises between Europe, Africa, and America. Precisely, its geographical location made it a point of departure for our main products, from which Malvasia wines, barilla, or onions were exported, among other unique products that spoke of the benefits of an island mistreated by volcanoes.
Currently, despite its enormous commercial importance for the economy of Lanzarote and the Canary Islands, and the fact that its port activity generates employment, income, and development for the island, we continue to suffer a historical burden: the stagnation of its growth volume due to the brake imposed by the competent authorities in favor of the Port of La Luz in Las Palmas and even, although to a lesser extent, that of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
I was a member of the Board of Directors of the Port Authority of Las Palmas from 2012 to 2015, and, in that period of time, the investments that were completed thanks to the work we did from the island allowed a certain rebound with the arrival of important investments that led to a significant development of it, which, however, has slowed down again because, since then, the improvements that continue to be essential for improving its operability have not been claimed again, nor has there been the necessary pressure from Lanzarote to complete the works that were already committed and that, at this moment, sleep the sleep of the just.
It is known that both the City Council of Arrecife and the Cabildo of Lanzarote have representation on the aforementioned board of directors, but, despite this, we have regressed because these last four years have been lost to continue claiming the investments that, due to the importance of the Port of Los Mármoles, we undoubtedly deserve.
The Port of Arrecife has a modern and diversified infrastructure, which ranges from container transport, with a terminal equipped with three gantry cranes and an annual movement capacity of more than 65,000 T.E.U.'s, to cruise tourism, with an annual reception of about four hundred and twenty-three thousand cruise passengers. In addition, it has an area dedicated to fishing, with an ice factory, a processing plant for fresh fish from aquaculture, and a maritime-fishing training center of international reference. It also offers border and customs inspection services, managed by the Port Authority of Las Palmas and the Chamber of Commerce of Lanzarote.
Therefore, it is necessary to organize a common island front that has not existed in recent times, perhaps due to the subservience with which our first institution is managed in the face of the Government of the Canary Islands and Spain, which we hope will have its end point next May if the electoral results accompany us to make possible the necessary and urgent change of course that the island economy and our port demand.
The project that we have in Coalición Canaria and the Agrupación Socialista de Lanzarote for the Port of Arrecife will place it where it belongs. Firstly, because there will be a councilorship dedicated to ensuring the promotion of the port's relations with the city. It is not possible that we do not give the importance it deserves to the wide spectrum of businesses that can be developed if we bet on it, taking into account, in addition, the annual volume of cruises and cruise passengers, as well as the goods that our main center of port activity generates.
Therefore, the commitment is clear and we reflect it in our electoral program, it is necessary to continue growing in the coming years, with new plans for the use of port spaces, basic expansion projects and application of special plans for the management of its land with the objective of improving its competitiveness and its integration with the city and the natural environment, so that it continues to be a key element for the economic, social and environmental development of Lanzarote, which contributes to its international projection and its positioning as a first-class tourist and commercial destination.
José Montelongo is former mayor of Arrecife and member of the electoral list of Coalición Canaria to the City Council of Arrecife.
