​The Port of Melilla will invest €29 million euros until 2024

• €4.5 million from the Inter-Port Compensation Fund
  
   
  
   

13-11-2020 (Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda) The President of Puertos del Estado, Francisco Toledo, conducted a working meeting, via videoconference, with Victor Gamero and José Ayala, President and Director, respectively, of the Melilla Port Authority, in which they agreed on the 2020-2024 Business Plan, a period in which more than €29 million of public investment and €8 million of private investment will be invested.

Victor Gamero explained the critical financial situation in which he finds himself. In addition to its already limited generation of resources, the COVID health crisis has led to the paralysis of maritime passenger traffic on its lines with the peninsula for much of the year, as well as the suppression of Operation Cross-Strait. These facts have led to a drastic drop in their port traffic and according to forecasts for the end of 2020, there could be a drop of up to 70% in passenger traffic and 25% in goods traffic. Furthermore, the effects of the health crisis are compounded by the consequences that may arise in the future from its relations with Morocco, since the land border remains closed.

This drop in traffic is consequently reflected in revenues, which are expected to be negative in 2020 and beyond. For this reason, Puertos del Estado raised the need to undertake in the short term a specific plan of action for the port, which immediately took the form of extraordinary financing of €4.5 million from the Inter-Port Compensation Fund. Víctor Gamero has asked the President of the Puertos del Estado, Francisco Toledo, to consider Melilla as a"'strategic port" within the ports of general interest,for the benefits this would bring to the Melilla Port Authority.

A review was also made of the situation of the planning instruments, specifications for the provision of port services, weightings and bonuses proposed for traffic.

Francisco Toledo recognized the effort that the Port Authority is making to contain its expenses and plan its investments, reducing them to those strictly necessary for port activity and prioritizing only those new investments that have external financing from the Port Authority itself.

Finally, Víctor Gamero commented on the work carried out with regard to important objectives, both for the Port Authority and for the Port System as a whole, such as the Universal Accessibility Plan, the Maintenance Plan, as well as the advances obtained with regard to environmental management.