Despite the pressure exerted by the various political forces of the Consell de Formentera and which has joined the president Llorenç Cordoba to have two docks in the port of La Savina, the president of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands, Javier Sanz, has insisted in an interview published in Mallorcadiario that the future of La Savina goes through a reorganization, from which it follows that there will be a single concession next year. “The situation of the port of Formentera is complicated due to its limited space and there are no plans to expand it. With nearly 200 moorings spread over two docks managed by different operators, our intention is to reorganize it while maintaining its commercial and social philosophy. It is a complex challenge that will require significant investment, but we will work with social and political authorities to find the best solution and achieve a more modern and functional port in the long term,” said Sanz in the interview. As La Voz de Ibiza advanced, the Consell de Formentera assumes that the Port Authority will tender all the port space in a single long-term concession that will allow the winning bidder to undertake the important investments the facility needs. Surprisingly, after the press conference in which Cordoba unveiled the details of his transfer to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of documentation of suspicious cases such as the mega tender under suspicion and the license to the Caminito, the opposition parties diverted attention by putting the focus on the future of the port of La Savina.
The approval of the new tender for the exploitation of the port of La Savina is imminent. And unless there is a major surprise, it will be a single concession. Previous movements attest to this, since the Port Authority is working so that the two current temporary authorizations end at the same time, in October next year. The plan is to put the new tender out to tender in the coming weeks, probably at the last board meeting of the year, award it before the summer, a period in which the two current operators, Port Med Formentera and Puertos y Litorales Sostenibles, will continue to operate the facility unchanged, and in October the new concessionaire will take possession of the facilities.
Social moorings in s’Estany
In private conversations with the port community of La Savina and that have been reported to La Voz de Ibiza, the president of the APB would have described as fictitious the debate on social moorings in the port of La Savina. In his opinion, the need for social moorings is amply covered in Formentera with the covert marina of s’Estany des Peix. Sa Unió, Gent per Formentera and PSOE have joined forces on this issue to express “their concern” and to ask, through a joint letter, “to refrain from processing any decision that mortgages the future of the port of La Savina without a prior meeting to know the political groups signing their proposal”. Accompanying the letter, plenary agreements in favor of reserving space for social moorings and against the expansion.
Córdoba, more explicit
President Cordoba went further in the letter sent after meeting with the spokesmen of the opposition groups in a Board of Spokesmen convened for this purpose. “First, from the Consell proposes the creation of two docks for recreational boating. This measure aims to promote healthy competition and provide benefits to both users and operators.” It is also suggested to the APB to be given greater weight when drawing up the specifications to the sections of project quality and level of investment. The maximum percentage of moorings up to eight meters, affordable rates, space for charter and excursion companies, for large lengths, the Civil Guard and Maritime Rescue, a parking lot and long-term concessions are the requests made by Cordoba.
