SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, June 2 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The consortium of Puerto de Tarfaya Canarias companies met this Friday with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Transport and Logistics of Morocco, Khalid Cherkaoui, with the organization of the Government of the Canary Islands, through the General Directorate of Economic Affairs with Africa, and with the assistance of the Spanish embassy in Rabat.
The objective of the meeting was to take to a more technical and concrete level the proposal to reopen the maritime line between the Moroccan port of Tarfaya and the Canary Islands port of Puerto del Rosario, as was raised during the visit of the commercial delegation headed by the regional president on the 15th and 16th of March to the Alaouite authorities and economic institutions and continued during the month of April in the correspondence between both parties.
In fact, in response to those negotiations, Ángel Víctor Torres received a letter from the Moroccan Minister of Transport and Logistics, Mohammed Abdeljalil, informing him of the intention of holding a meeting to advance the implementation of the maritime route, which would be “a important step in strengthening trade and logistics ties between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Kingdom of Spain”.
As a result, Elena Máñez, Minister of Economy, Knowledge and Employment, led the Canarian delegation at the meeting this Friday which, in addition to the business community, included the Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport, Gustavo Santana, and the General Director of Economic Affairs with Africa, Nasara Cabrera.
At the meeting, the counselor showed her support for the private initiative to relaunch the maritime connection, understanding that it would strengthen the economic, social and cultural ties between the two shores, “since today there is no passenger line by sea between the Canary Islands and Morocco and, in terms of merchandise, “it can have a positive economic impact on the entry of merchandise from Morocco to Europe and vice versa, as a point of export from Europe to the Alawite kingdom”.
In the meeting with Cherkaoui and the rest of the Moroccan authorities, both Máñez and Santana also pondered the experience of the Canarian consortium in the management of port spaces and in the efficient planning of transport and logistics lines, so that the Moroccan authorities allow them to exploit their Tarfaya port facility, recently renovated.
THE NEW PORT OF TARFAYA
With these negotiations, it is intended to resume the route that was already implemented between December 2007 and April 2008 between Puerto del Rosario and Tarfaya, with a good acceptance in the 43 trips that it was able to make, before the ferry that operated on the route sank. very close to the Moroccan port, collects a note from the Government.
Now, after an investment of 50 million euros, the Alaouite port once again meets the necessary security and operational conditions to re-establish a regular transport line with the Canary Islands.
The port now has a 225-meter-long berthing line, a commercial operations area of 10,000 square meters, and an industrial development zone of another 84,000.
In addition, a 400 square meter ramp adapted for Roll-On/Roll-Off vessels has been built and dredging works have been carried out to improve navigability and safety.
These significant improvements ensure that the port of Tarfaya meets the technical requirements necessary for the resumption of the maritime connection with Puerto del Rosario.
