The APS Board of Directors selects the bid submitted by Boluda Maritime Terminals for the construction and operation of a public container terminal.
This infrastructure, which will have an investment of 17 million euros, will mean the creation of 21 direct jobs, 720 induced jobs and more than 1,000 indirect jobs - Once the bid has been selected, the process of the file that will lead to the concession will begin. A process that could conclude in December, once the period of allegations is over.
The granting of a concession for the construction of a public terminal for solid fertilizers and the economic approval of the contract for the "completion of the works of the Raos 9 dock, are other agreements reached by the Board. Santander 23/10/2020. The port of Santander is closer to having a container terminal. After the selection, by the Board of Directors, of the bid submitted by Boluda Maritime Terminals, S.A. for the construction and operation of this infrastructure in the North Breakwater of Raos, now begins a period of allegations that would last until next December. As soon as the administrative process is completed, the construction of a terminal would begin, with a minimum investment of about 17 million euros and a further 19 million euros for the replacement of equipment over the duration of the concession, estimated at 40 years. The execution period for the work would be 18 months.
With this new terminal, which will have a minimum annual traffic of 40,000 TEUs (20-foot containers) and a maximum capacity of 100,000, it is estimated that 21 direct jobs will be created, 720 induced jobs and more than 1,000 indirect jobs. The objective of the APS with the creation of this new container terminal is, according to its president, Jaime González, "to promote the traffic of general merchandise, betting on a clean cargo that generates a great added value with the generation of new jobs". For González, this is a "milestone" in the history of the port that comes at a time of "maximum need" due to the "situation in which we are immersed".
For his part, the vice president of the APS and Minister of Industry, Francisco Martin, thanked Boluda Maritime Terminals for its "commitment to the Port of Santander and, by extension, to the Cantabrian business structure" and stressed that the Government considers that "we have the best possible traveling companion to start this new journey". The counselor explained that "we have been working for a long time on a historical aspiration, not only of the port, but also of all companies and carriers in the region". He also believes that this new infrastructure "will mean the ability to export and import from and to Cantabria with lower costs and shorter deadlines, which will put us in a more competitive situation". In his opinion, "it will provide more facilities for our companies, more traffic for the port, more jobs and the possibility of opening many more commercial horizons for the industry of Cantabria". Martin has emphasized that the offer of Boluda Maritime Terminals shows "the interest of one of the largest national operators of container transport for the Port of Santander" and will mean a transformation in the business model of the APS that will allow it to reduce "its dependence on bulk traffic".
On the other hand, the Board of Directors also decided to grant an administrative concession to Consignatarios de Barcos de Santander, S.A.U., (COBASA) for the construction and operation of a public terminal for solid fertilizers in the North Breakwater of Raos. The new infrastructure, which will have a surface area of 7,000 m² and a concession period of 30 years, will have the capacity to move 100,000 tons per year, ensuring the traceability of the goods through the use of facilities that will be equipped with the latest technologies and will be an environmental benchmark in terms of handling. The investment will be 5 million euros and the execution period for the work will be 12 months. Likewise, the meeting of the highest representative body of the APS ended with the economic approval of the contract for the "completion of the works at Raos Pier 9", which will provide a second berth for the regular lines of ro-ro vessels to improve the level of service. The work, which will generate 291 meters of quay length, has an investment of 25 million euros and a completion period of 18 months.