The president of Puertos del Estado highlights the improvement and growing competitiveness of "El Musel"

• Before embarking on a tour of the facilities, the president of Puertos del Estado held meetings with the president and executives of the Port Authority, as well as various operators and officials from technical-nautical services.
• Strong support for efforts to recover the Motorway of the Sea with France.

February 2, 2022 (Public Body Puertos del Estado). The president of Puertos del Estado, Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena, highlighted, during his first official visit to the Gijón port, the improvement in the economic and financial situation of the entity. He encouraged them to continue in this line of management and rationalization of expenses and investments, as well as in the policy of divesting assets not related to port operations. The prudent management carried out by the Port Authority has allowed it to meet the financial obligations derived from expansion works while undertaking initiatives that increase its competitiveness and others that incorporate environmental improvements in both its operations and the nearby geographical environment.

The president of Puertos del Estado is confident that this situation will be accentuated with the entry into service of the Pajares variant and its effect on the hinterland of the port, along with greater ease in forming railway convoys.

Rail access to the expanded port area was also addressed in the meeting held early on with the president and general director of El Musel, followed by another meeting with the management committee of the Port Authority. In both meetings, the growing interest of various companies in the available space to carry out initiatives in the field of renewable energies was positively assessed. If realized, this would have a very favorable impact on both the economic activity of the port environment and maritime traffic.

The recovery of the Motorway of the Sea with France and the ongoing efforts for it were also given priority attention, anticipating that they may materialize in line with the expected economic recovery once the current health pandemic is overcome.

Finally, representatives of Puertos del Estado and the Port Authority, before touring the port facilities, met with various operators and officials from technical-nautical services. They presented their views on the maritime sector and its likely evolution in light of the economic changes occurring worldwide.

Caption: From left, Laureano Lourido, President of the Port Authority of Gijón; Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena, President of Puertos del Estado, and José Manuel del Arco, General Director of the Port Authority of Gijón.