The Port Authority of Motril is working on a new initiative to guarantee the safety of customers on regular passenger and freight lines to North Africa against the coronavirus, in anticipation of the upcoming resumption of activity, as well as cruise ships that call at its docks.
This is the “Motril Port Covid19 Free” project, “COVID-free passenger terminals and docks in the Port of Motril,” and it will be implemented in coordination with the shipping companies FRS and Armas-Trasmediterránea “in order to make the Motril dock a safe port, free of coronavirus, and to prevent overlapping of the operating protocols established on the ship and on the dock,” said the president of the Motril dock, José García Fuentes, who added that the project will be extended to all port areas and facilities related to passenger and freight traffic destined for and originating from the ports of Melilla, Nador, Alhucemas, and Tangier-Med.
This would therefore affect ticket sales areas, vehicle pre-boarding and passenger waiting areas, the pre-boarding and disembarking inspection area, the maritime terminals at the Levante and Azucenas docks, and the emergency vehicle parking areas that are set up each season during Operation Crossing the Strait (OPE). The project will also affect the Border Inspection Post (BIP) and the truck parking area. “We want to prevent infections and ensure that passengers in general, and drivers in particular, feel safe while they are in the Port,” García Fuentes stated.
Zone delimitation
The work will begin, in its first phase, with the analysis and delimitation of the different zones, followed by a cost estimate for the technical equipment needed to guarantee the safety of passengers and goods passing through the Port of Motril. In addition, technical and hygiene protocols will be implemented in each zone and service area, and maximum capacity limits will be proposed. The project will be completed with both horizontal and vertical signage, "so that passengers, vehicles, and carriers know at all times how and where they can move.".
The project will remain in effect until all health alerts are lifted or a vaccine is available. Regarding cruise ship safety protocols, these will be implemented in designated areas at the request of the cruise lines.
The administrative procedure has already been initiated, will be carried out by a company with recognized international standing in the prevention and security sector, and will be completed in the coming days.
