The President of the Port Authority highlighted today at the Large Clients Forum the main milestones achieved in the last year and encouraged operators to continue to be extremely rigorous in the environmental management of their activity.
The president of the Port Authority of A Coruña, Enrique Losada, inaugurated the Port of A Coruña's Major Clients Forum this morning. The forum, now in its eighth edition, saw significant participation from the leading companies within the port community. Seventy representatives from companies and organizations such as Repsol, Gas Natural, the A Coruña Fish Market, Galigrain, Pérez Torres Marítima, TMGA, Bergé, and CLH attended, along with representatives from tugboat operators, pilots, and mooring crews, among others. Enrique Losada emphasized the overwhelming response from major clients to a forum that has become a vital platform for exchanging information, experiences, and discussing future challenges.
The president of the public body opened this forum by reviewing the achievements of the past year and highlighting the challenges ahead. He emphasized the consolidation of activity at the Outer Port, where more than 70 operations have been carried out since its commissioning, as well as the progress made in relocating operators. He acknowledged the efforts of the first companies to submit their applications to move operations to Punta Langosteira, where construction of the TMGA warehouse is already well underway. This will be followed by the Pérez Torres Marítima and Galigrain facilities, bringing the total number of cargo storage and handling facilities operational in Langosteira to three by 2015. Repsol will join them in 2018, having already been granted the concession to build its liquid bulk terminal.
The president of the Port Authority pointed out that, with both these private investments and the public investment allocated to the execution of the third phase, the commitment announced at the previous forum is being fulfilled. This commitment targeted an investment of €300 million in the Outer Port for the coming years. Regarding construction, he highlighted the awarding yesterday of the contract for the second phase of the breakwater, which includes, in addition to the jetty, a new 300-meter quay and the extension of the operations area. This will significantly improve the conditions of the dock within two years.
While construction continues, the Port Authority remains focused on its marketing plan for the Outer Port. In this regard, Enrique Losada reiterated that the challenge is to attract investment and establish long-term industry, and announced that advanced talks are underway with major international groups.
After reviewing port traffic, highlighting the significant progress in fresh fish and the ongoing boom in the cruise sector, which continues after its historic leap in 2013, Enrique Losada concluded his remarks by addressing sustainability. He noted that the Port of A Coruña is a model of environmental management, as demonstrated by the various certifications it has received and its participation in leading expert forums on this topic. He stated that fundamental steps have been taken in recent years, such as the implementation of the Environmental Code of Conduct, which has already been adopted by 27 companies. These measures have drastically reduced the impact of operations, with only two exceedances of PM10 particle emissions within the port so far this year, well below the threshold set by the World Health Organization, and no exceedances at the San Diego Park monitoring station, which is where the impact on populated areas is actually measured. However, he called on companies to continue to exercise maximum caution and to strictly adhere to the guidelines established for the management of each item.
Following the speech by the president of the Port Authority, the director of the public body, Juan Diego Pérez Freire, gave a comprehensive presentation on the milestones achieved in the port during the last year, as well as its current situation and its future prospects.
