The technical restrictions and legal complexity have forced the Government of the Canary Islands to definitively rule out the structural expansion offshore of the Port of Los Cristianos. Pressured by the institutional and business block of La Gomera—led by the president of the Cabildo, Casimiro Curbelo—the port authorities have shelved plans for peripheral expansion of the southern node of Tenerife. The strategy will focus exclusively on an internal reorganization of the perimeter of the dock to mitigate the bottleneck of the inter-island supply chain, describing the growth projects on the protected shoreline as ‘unrealistic.’
The chronic collapse of this port infrastructure, which serves as the main logistical hub for passenger and cargo traffic to the islands of La Gomera, La Palma, and El Hierro, is a direct result of a mismatch between the urban-tourism development of the area and state port planning. Following the definitive cancellation in previous years of the alternative project for the Fonsalía megaport, Los Cristianos has had to absorb vehicle traffic (Ro-Ro) that exceeds its terrestrial access capacities, affecting the efficiency of the agri-food and tourism value chains in the western province.
The contingency plan imposed by the western economic sectors limits works to already consolidated port land, safeguarding the urban beach and the core of Los Cristianos from adverse environmental impact. Investment priorities will focus on segregating port traffic from the urban roadway network through a direct link to the TF-1 highway and redesigning the boarding platforms. Additionally, the sector macroeconomic analysis questions the overlapping schedules between the main shipping companies in the market—Fred. Olsen and Baleària—, whose arrival and departure windows coincide, exacerbating delays at the isthmus in a correctable manner without incurring external civil engineering costs.
The resolution of the technical conflict also cuts off the diversion routes for general cargo to the industrial port of Granadilla. Cost reports managed by shippers warn that Granadilla not only presents a more complex climate for passenger and mixed cargo ships, but would also increase fixed operating costs due to stevedoring rates and longer road transport distances. Thus, optimizing the internal facility of Los Cristianos consolidates as the only financially viable way to ensure the daily supply of the smaller western islands over the next decade.
