In the context of the Central Atlantic, where the interests of foreign capital often collide with regional logistical sovereignty, the business association Oneport has executed a masterful corporate diplomacy move. Under the pretext of presenting ‘Presidents at the Dock’, the work of chronicler Manuel Vidal, the federation led by José Mayor has achieved what seemed impossible: to bring together the living history —and sometimes conflictive— of the Port Authority of Las Palmas on the same bench.
More than paper: An ethical compass
What to a casual observer might appear as a simple commemorative event for the 120th anniversary of the Works Board, for the port ‘City’ was a declaration of intentions. By gathering figures whose relationships have been marked by legal disputes, with the historical confrontation between Javier Sánchez-Simón and Luis Ibarra over the expansion of La Esfinge as a backdrop, Oneport has once again positioned itself not only as an economic actor but also as the moral compass of the port businesses.
The Canary business association has sent a message of port realpolitik: above personalism and disputes lies the health of the economic engine of the Canary Islands. In a global environment of uncertainty, Oneport rescues institutional memory not as an exercise in nostalgia but as a manual for competitive survival.
Local capital versus foreign investment
The chronicle of this meeting would not be complete without addressing the nationalist and strategic subtext that Mayor has introduced. The defense of the presence of local professionals on the board of directors is not a minor detail. It is a direct challenge to the growing influence of foreign capital that, while welcomed, must align with the general interest of the islands. A anachronism to overcome: Asocelpa must return to the leadership of the CCE of Las Palmas and Oneport cannot be absent from the board so that its seat is filled by a mediator from a foreign company. ‘This book is a tool to learn from the successes and failures of the past,’ they state from Oneport. But it is, above all, a shield. By reclaiming the figure of the presidents —from Bittini to Beatriz Calzada— the Canary port business association underscores that the success of La Luz has been a collective construction of operators and managers who understand the idiosyncrasy of the dock.
News written by José L. Jiménez Edited and verified by Pedro Marrero. Cross-checked information without institutional filters. This analysis has not been funded by official advertising or conditioned by lobby interests.
