The president of Puertos del Estado visits the Port of Seville to discuss the degree of development of its strategic projects
Rodríguez Dapena has expressed interest in promoting rail transport at the port of Seville, as well as advancing its digitization and synchromodality.
March 21, 2022. The president of Puertos del Estado, Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena, visited the Port of Seville today and held a meeting with the president of the Seville Port Authority, Rafael Carmona, and the director, Ángel Pulido, to firsthand knowledge of the strategic projects that the institution is undertaking and the status of each of them, with the aim of expediting procedures and advancing their degree of development. The three main lines of action analyzed were the reorganization of the Seville port with the construction of the new bulk terminal in the south and the launch of the urban-port district; optimization of the navigable waterway; and digital transformation.
During the visit, the president of Puertos del Estado also reviewed with the management team of the Seville Port Authority (APS) the progress of the 2025 Strategic Plan. In particular, they discussed aspects related to the uniqueness of the Port of Seville, due to its condition as an inland maritime port that allows it to introduce cargo by sea into the territory and reduce CO2 emissions from land traffic by road. They also addressed the actions promoted by the APS to consolidate port facilities as a multimodal logistics platform in southern Spain. Among them is the new direct railway access to the port - which will involve an investment of more than €30 million - the launch of a second Logistics Activities Zone, and the use of new technologies for the management of maritime and railway traffic.
In this regard, Rodriguez Dapena paid special attention to the presentation of the Ferroport System project. It is a pioneering system at the national level with which the Port of Seville automates the management and railway operations and is connected to the general railway network. This initiative, which has an investment of €2.3 million co-financed by the European Union, facilitates information exchange and allows for time and cost savings in freight transport by train.
In connection with this project, the president of Puertos del Estado has expressed interest in organizing a conference on rail transport in Spanish ports in Seville. In this event, the APS will present this new intelligent system, and issues such as digitization and real-time coordination of the different modes of transport that converge in a port - ship, train, and truck - will be discussed.
On the other hand, Rodriguez Dapena approached the environmental strategy promoted by the Seville Port Authority. The management team has informed the president that recently, the APS has received the Ecoports environmental management certificate, issued by the European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO); as well as the 'Working with nature' recognition from the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC) for combining improved navigation with the conservation of the Guadalquivir estuary.
The visit continued with a meeting at the Galia Puerto Business Center with more than 30 representatives of the Seville Port Community. The board of directors of ProSevillaPort, the association of companies for the promotion of this infrastructure, was present at the working meeting, where the current state and future prospects of the national port system were analyzed. In addition, representatives had the opportunity to share their perceptions and concerns about the sector with Rodriguez Dapena.
After the meeting, the authorities visited the port facilities and toured the logistics district of Batán - where the container terminal, the railway terminal, and the ZAL are located - the industrial estate of Astilleros, and the Free Trade Zone, and made a stop at the sea gate to Seville: the lock.
Rodríguez Dapena highlighted the determined commitment that the port system is making to achieve full connectivity of its facilities with the rest of the transport networks and with the main logistics areas in the country, with the port of Seville being a good demonstration of this.
One of the highlighted milestones of the visit was the new terminal at the Cuarto basin, which is in an advanced state of construction. In addition, the group accessed the Tablada Dock to walk through what will be a new neighborhood in Seville and an example of port-city integration. To complete the visit, the Seville Port Authority organized a session with the Technical Office of the Urban-Port District, which is currently drafting the Master Plan for the project.
The Urban-Port District is one of the most relevant projects that the Seville Port Authority is undertaking. "With it, we will contribute to shaping the future urban structure, transforming the docks closest to the city with the conception of new spaces for the enjoyment of all," said Rafael Carmona.