Sorry all, quick question...is there building work going on in PB's harbour? Someone told me that there were plans for expansion there...

Thanks!

Stoaty x

No work. There are plalns, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

Hearsay from people who have seen the plans: An extension towards southwest by building another jetty (or making the existing one longer) just in front of Centro Commercial Punta Limones and the Puerto Chico complex.....

When ?

Anybody's guess.......

Thanks for the quick replies...

I nearly ruptured something when I was told there were works going on...

The plan I saw had a park for containers in front of the Irish Anvil. It seemed to have been drawn up by someone gaining from building and supplying concrete and stote, rather that keeping PB as a nice place.

I suppose that if you've seen the plans then you at least know what won't happen!

Some more info:

http://www.lanzaroteguidebook.com/news/ ... -port-plan

This is bad, veeeery bad........ !

As I said.

A brief chat with a few locals have made me even more concerned:

Apparently there is quite a bit of support from the Spanish. They argue that this will bring more jobs and help boosting the economy....

I certainly would disagree. I fear PB may be completely ruined by this, at least the part surrounding the port.

Commercial ports have always attracted individuals and operations that we may not want (bars etc) with increased crime as one of the consequences. I have myself been working in the shipping industry and lived in the port of Rotterdam and later Le Havre before I spent a year in Antwerp. Not that it is comparable, but I also did cover most of the smaller ports from Rotterdam down to Gibraltar representing a Norwegian ship supply company. Commercial ports are very much different from what is to be expected from PB.

I can easily imagine other undesirable effects:

The noise and pollution from trucks pulling containers in and out of the port. Can you imagine accelerating trucks from the roundabout going through the first few gears, - just to break in front of the traffic lights and start all over again ?

Noise from loading and offloading ships. Empty "roro-ships" are like big empty "metal drums". (I take it we're talking "roro", and not a big container crane on the spot). On a quiet night, repair work onboard the Armas ferry (like hammering), can easily be heard all the way to Montana Roja. Loading and offloading sometimes sound like thunder. We don't need more of that...

I am on a crusade for a copy of the plan itself and will post if I can get one.....

I agree. Ignoring the obvious worries about destroying the beauty etc and taking just the narrow point about jobs, the reason for containerisation is automation to reduce manpower bills. The destruction of PB as a viable resort would remove far more service industry jobs that would be created in the long term by a container port. In the short term, the construction workforce would be made of cheap imported labour, not locals.

YIKES!

Really glad I made this post now :-S

I hope they don't turn PB into a container port...

The original article was written last Summer, and I don't believe anything new has been said since

As I understood it, the plans were to separate the island ferries from the fishing harbour (health and safety ) and to allow huge cruise liners to dock. Cruise ships arriving at the container port in Arrecife complain about the distance from town for the passengers. It would make more sense to let them arrive in PB and passengers could go to Timanfayo, across to Fuerteventura, mooch about in PB etc. It would boost PB and Lanzarote as a cruise destination with the novelty of a new area to explore for hardened cruisers.

All of which makes a lot of sense and could be done without too much damage I would think...

But a containerport/depot ?

That is a totally different matter.......

So finally, - here 's the plan in its' original form:



- which may not be too bad, - although I fear the increased traffic from buses in and out of the proposed terminal will increase noise and pollution a lot.

Modern Cruise ships are easily very tall (like 10/15 decks above the waterline), and I symphatise with the owners in Puerto Chico who will lose their view as long as cruise ships are in port. Imagine getting one of these ones just in front of your patio:



I am not so sure the PB is ready for this......

Also these ships have a tendency to pollute a lot. Check this out:

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/425142_cruise17.html


Any comments ???