SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, July 8 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Héctor Gómez, has announced that PERTE Naval could increase the competitiveness of the sector by 15% and achieve an annual growth rate of 9%, as well as contribute to the creation of 3,100 jobs. of quality, mainly in peripheral regions
Likewise, the minister highlighted the importance of the PERTE Naval within the strategic projects carried out by the Government, adding that the fundamental challenge of this PERTE is to diversify the naval sector towards new products, their digitization, the improvement of their environmental sustainability and the training of its employees.
This was stated by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism during a visit yesterday Friday to the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife at the hands of the president of the Port Authority, Carlos González, and the mayor of the city, José Manuel Bermúdez. He has also been able to see first-hand the work carried out in the control room and the head of Maritime Rescue in the area. The activity of this body has saved more than 128,000 human lives since 2018 and 7,745 only so far this year.
During the tour, the minister has visited the latest activities carried out on the dock. The Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife will invest 269 million euros in its facilities until 2027. Among them is the planning project for the connecting dock to turn it into a more conditioned transit area; the expansion of the marina; and works in Maritime Defense and the Charcos area to enable the opening of the city to the sea and the recovery of this space for the use and enjoyment of citizens.
On the other hand, the OPS (Onshore Power Supply) project stands out, with a budget of 48 million euros. These facilities allow ships to connect to the land electricity grid during their stay in port, so that the auxiliary motors they use to supply themselves can be turned off during the loading and unloading of goods or people. In addition to reducing emissions, it is possible to completely eliminate the noise associated with the operation of the engines.
Héctor Gómez has supported the great work that is being done in this enclave from the public sector, with “improvements that combine the transition towards a sustainable and more enjoyable space for the residents of Santa Cruz.” “The importance of ports and nautical tourism as a dynamic element of Spanish economic activity is indisputable”, he added.
The state-owned port system closed the 2022 financial year with an amount of 1,190 million euros, which has meant an increase of 11.5% compared to 2021. For its part, in the first months of 2023, the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has experienced growth in both passenger and freight traffic, by 41% and 10% respectively.
“We are in a moment of progress and economic progress. After all the crises we have experienced, some of the toughest for the tourism sector, we did not imagine this recovery, also for industry and commerce that ports entail,” he said.
