Leisure
Sections
Highlight
Sections
Highlight
The solution to finding space for increasingly larger yachts and pleasure boats might be to accommodate them at ports dedicated to fishing along the coast of Malaga province and the Andalucía region where the activity has reduced.
This was one of the main points of discussion at the nautical and marinas professional meeting, organised by Suncruise Andalucía alongside the public ports agency and the Port Authority of Malaga. The event was inaugurated by the presidents of the ports of Malaga, Carlos Rubio, and of Algeciras, Gerardo Landaluce.
During the meeting, the general director of the public ports agency - Ignacio Álvarez-Ossorio - explained that they are going to study the possibility of using "some ports where fishing is reducing its activity and demands less infrastructure". "It is going to be very difficult to build new ports, so what we have to do is take the water from the existing ports, really see what is needed for fishing and then take advantage of those spaces that are left free," he said.
Álvarez-Ossorio stated that the regional government's aim is to extend the use, as much as possible, of available areas and build new recreational ports "only in exceptional cases". In parallel, the aim is to concession these spaces for exploitation by private partners and facilitate the arrival of premium sailing and mega-yachts, due to their high economic return. The current demand for moorings is very high, with a 75% occupancy rate in Andalucía as a whole throughout the year, and full capacity during the summer, especially for vessels between 12 and 20 metres in length.
On the other hand, the objective is to put several ports out to tender in order to capitalise them and make them more efficient and competitive. Álvarez-Ossorio said that, in terms of infrastructure, the docks function "reasonably well", although the facilities are mostly in need of refurbishment and an update to match standards, especially in terms of water and waste management. He highlighted that "the private sector has more capacity for management" than the public one.
The meeting, held in the Edgar Neville auditorium of Malaga's Diputación provincial authority, brought together the managers of the main marinas in Andalucía and other regions, such as Catalonia, Galicia, Murcia and the south of France, as well as representatives from the world of nautical tourism and the blue economy. In addition to the abovementioned, current issues in the sector were addressed, such as the general regulation of sport and recreational sailing, within the framework of European regulations; the future of the ports of autonomous ownership; the digitalisation of management and the impact of artificial intelligence in the sector.
Publicidad
Publicidad
Publicidad
Publicidad
Esta funcionalidad es exclusiva para registrados.
Reporta un error en esta noticia
Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados
¿Ya eres registrado?
Inicia sesiónNecesitas ser suscriptor para poder votar.