New Marina Contract In Corralejo, Fuerteventura Awarded

The contract for the extention and improvement to Corralejo harbour has been awarded and is expected to take two years to complete. The project will improve and extend the ferry piers, increase the number of moorings for pleasure craft and provide better boat yard facilities.

As well as the existing marina berths the new marina will provide 650 berths for yachts which will be sheltered behind a huge curved breakwater. The contract has been awarded to Viatrio Ingenieros SL and will cost nearly €343 million .

Corralejo harbour on the north coast of Fuerteventura is one of the busiest in the Canaries with close to a million passengers a year using the short ferry link to Lanzarote and the project will ensure that increasing passenger demand can be met. The harbour Playa Blanca in Lanzarote will also be extended and improved to allow easier access for the ferries whose entrance at the moment can only be described as tight.

The two projects will strengthen the ties between Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. Politicians on both islands have wanted for a long time to form a new "Canarian power" as strong as the link between Gran Canaria and Tenerife and these two project will move that dream forward.

The marina project will also provide a new esplande and integrate the area with the surrounding frontline properties and businesses. The marina project is sure to create an interest in property in close to the new harbour scheme.

Ferry Operator contacts Fred Olsen and Naviera Armas

For more information on Canarian Marinas visit www.worldmarineguide.com

Island Ferry Link to Morrocco

The ferry link to Morroco had a bit of a disaster recently after it sank when it encountered strong winds and rough seas off the Moroccan coast.All 113 passengers and crew were safely rescued thanks mainly to the help of local fisherman.The Moroccan harbour had undergone major improvements to facilitate the ferry operation and the loss of the ferry is a huge blow financially to the town of Tafaya and the hopes of Fuerteventura becoming a major distribution point for billions of dollars of development money aimed at Africa.
At a meeting attended by the Canarian President Paulino Rivero, representatives of the Canarian and Moroccan port authorities and the ferry operator Naviera Armas it was agreed that the reopening of the service was imperative before the end of the year. This will mean further improvements to the port in Tarfaya, though all the facilities for Puerto del Rosario are now complete and just require Spanish and EU authorisation. Puerto del Rosario Mayor said “It is vital that, while the work is being carried out, the line remains open”.