Located at the southern tip of the island, the Port of Playa Blanca provides access to the paradisiacal beaches of the area and is only half an hour from Timanfaya National Park.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 64 – March 2023
The old Playa Blanca dock, built in the early 1980s, had become too small, especially after the introduction of fast ferries. Therefore, a new, much larger dock has been built, with its longest pier boasting 300 meters of berthing space. This new pier undoubtedly opens up the possibility of receiving cruise ship calls.
Both the 300m pier and the two piers of 142m and 100m have ramps to facilitate the loading of vehicles and rolling cargo onto ferries, and there is also the 75m deep pier. It should not be forgotten that the Port of Playa Blanca received 1 million passengers and some 300,000 vehicles in 2022, making it one of the ports with the highest passenger traffic in the Canary Islands.
After several studies and projects, a project was finally agreed upon with the Yaiza Town Council and the Lanzarote Island Council, fulfilling the long-standing demand for expansion from the Lanzarote administrations. The works were put out to tender in 2016, and construction effectively began in November 2018, finishing four years and two months later, culminating in the inauguration of the new dock on January 13, 2023.
This project has been 85% co-financed under the ERDF Operational Programme of the Canary Islands (2014-2020), with an investment of more than 45 million euros.
This action has doubled the surface area of the port, going from 91,470 square meters in 2018 to 205,569 square meters currently.
NEW MARITIME STATION
These expansion works have included the creation of a new and sustainable maritime station of 2,300 m2 that has a commercial area, as well as new esplanades intended to accommodate boarding areas and parking.
Its layout consists of a single floor above ground, 85.60 m long, 21.10 m wide and 7.50 m high, and a total of 1,421.07 m2 of built area.
The new station houses the ticket offices, information desk, cafeteria, waiting areas, office space, changing rooms and restrooms, as well as the utility room and the Civil Guard facilities. The project also includes a guardhouse on the access roads to expedite access to the port.
All entry points to the maritime station are accessible to people with reduced mobility. Environmental sustainability factors have also been taken into account, and the following actions have been implemented:
• Optimized building construction.
• Reduced energy demand.
• Use of passive facade systems.
• Solar energy utilization.
• Use of clean materials.
• Optimization of processes during construction and subsequent maintenance.
The Port of Playa Blanca provides access to idyllic beaches and is only half an hour from Timanfaya National Park.
The design and construction of the new station is the work of the Canarian architecture firm Romera y Ruiz Arquitectos. The building is composed of concrete elements, large glass windows, and a roof formed by a series of sloping planes. It was built entirely with prefabricated architectural concrete panels and plasterboard, the waste from which is part of the C&D waste (Construction and Demolition Waste), which is 100% recyclable.
LANZAROTE AND THE LEGACY OF CÉSAR MANRIQUE
Lanzarote is a very arid volcanic island with a dry subtropical climate that guarantees warm temperatures practically all year round and very little rainfall. It is on the same latitude as Florida or the Bahamas.
Precisely in the south, near the Port of Playa Blanca, are the best unspoiled sandy beaches, such as Papagayo, while in the southwest is the Timanfaya National Park, an area of 51 km2 where you can see more than 25 volcanoes, most of them formed between the historic eruption of 1730 and the last one of 1824.
Also highly recommended is the experience of visiting the Cueva de los Verdes, a volcanic tube formed 5,000 years ago which, with the help of artificial lighting, forms truly spectacular passageways with a final surprise that amazes all visitors.
César Manrique, a painter and sculptor native to the island, left an important cultural legacy in Lanzarote. His works are some of the main tourist attractions, such as Jameos del Agua, a stunning installation in a volcanic tube with a swimming pool and restaurant, as well as a lagoon with a species of crab unique in the world.
The new 300m pier makes it possible to receive cruise ships.
The Mirador del Rio viewpoint, in the north of the island, carved into the rock atop a cliff, offers breathtaking views of La Graciosa and the strait that separates them. Additionally, the Casa del Volcán (Volcano House) of the César Manrique Foundation is another very special place, nestled within a volcanic lava flow, which uses natural bubbles to create striking and unique spaces.
Before leaving Lanzarote, it's worth trying its wine and taking a bottle home, as the wine produced here, a dry Malvasia, is delicious and very difficult to find outside the island.
MILESTONES IN THE NEW PORT CONSTRUCTION
• November 27, 2018: Construction begins.
• October 2019: The 13-caisson concrete breakwater, upon which the outer basin will be built, is completed.
• 2020: Work continues on the outer quay, the renovation of the inner quay, and the new esplanade where the new terminal building will be erected.
• December 2021: The shipping companies Fred. Olsen and Naviera Armas begin operating at the new berth, which offers more spacious and safer conditions for vehicle and passenger traffic.
• March 2022: Fred. Olsen states that the dock expansion enhances operational efficiency and provides greater comfort and maneuverability for both regular ferry services to Fuerteventura and the other recreational and fishing vessels in the Port of Playa Blanca.
• April 2022: Work progresses on the closure of the inner breakwater with a 50-meter-long concrete hammerhead dock, capable of accommodating yachts or light passenger vessels.
• June 17, 2022: Completion of the hammerhead dock.
• July 31, 2022: Construction complete.
• January 13, 2023: Commissioning of the facilities.
