The Minister of Transport for the Canary Islands, Sebastián Franquis, announced yesterday that the opening of the public information process for the project of the new commercial dock at the port of Corralejo, in Fuerteventura, has already begun. With an estimated budget of more than 33 million euros, the aim is to create a new commercial dock that will make it possible to expand the facilities at the popular port on the north of the island.
Corralejo is one of the busiest regional ports in the islands, with more than a million passengers and three hundred thousand vehicles a year using its facilities. It is also the main communication hub between the islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, and due to its important and essential activity, as well as for operational and safety reasons, the expansion is based on differentiation by docks, separating the commercial activity from the relevant sports activity and excursions that this port also has based there.
With the new design, there is a sheltered dock to the north of the current port be exclusively for commercial traffic, expanding the capacity to three berths for ships larger than those currently operating. Likewise, the land area of commercial port operation, and its access road, are made independent from those of the fishing and recreational activity.
This new shelter dam runs parallel to the current one and is 120 metres long, with two sections of different orientation: a first section of 189 metres and a second of 242 metres. This configuration makes it possible to have a sheltered water surface of about 33,900 m2, and to double the current land area of the port with an additional 30,000 m2, from the current 28,200 m2 to more than 58,200 m2 of docks and service areas for commercial, sporting and fishing activities.
For the docking of ferries and medium-sized ships, three areas with ramps have been designed. The first berth, located in the third alignment of the breakwater, provides a useful length of about 160 metres. The other two berths are located more or less in the centre of the dock by means of a central jetty whose function is to accommodate berths on each of its sides for medium-sized ferries, with a length of 110 metres. Likewise, for the mooring of commercial tourist excursion boats, two aluminium floating docks, each 48 metres long have been projected.
Franquis took advantage of his visit to the port of Corralejo to supervise the installation works for new piers that are currently being developed, and which are in fact part of the new port expansion project together with the creation of the new commercial dock.
These works have a budget of 2.1 million euros to double the current number of berths for fishing and sports boats in the inner dock of the port. In this sense, he explained that due to the tourist development of the town, the demand for berths in the inner dock has skyrocketed in recent years, generating a waiting list of close to a hundred boats. For this reason, this initiative will increase capacity to 423 berths, 207 more than now.
"Today we have come to present an ambitious project, and I believe that we are taking a decisive step to improve our port facilities, a port which is very important for the Canary Islands because more than a million travellers pass through here every year", said Franquis, "today, the traffic of passengers, vehicles, and the economic activity that is generated in the north of Fuerteventura, and in the south of Lanzarote, is essential. For this reason, the Government has wanted to modernize and expand its facilities, both here and in Lanzarote, to place it in its rightful place".
Franquis made these statements during his visit to the port to see the work that is currently being carried out to increase the number of pontoons, a tour in which he was accompanied by the president of the Cabildo de Fuerteventura, Sergio Lloret, the Mayor of La Oliva, Pilar González, and the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Gustavo Santana.
