French Shipping Lines Give up About Competing with Acciona for the Vigo Sea Highway
Acciona definitely has a free hand to opt for the sea highway connecting with France. The French shipping lines that submitted the tender for operating the sea highway put out to tender by the Paris and Madrid governments gave up on their competition with Acciona for the Vigo port, although, according to sources from the Developing Ministry, they still tender to the connecting routes with Gijón, Santander, and Bilbao. The president of the Pontevedra Shiiping Agents Association, Bonifacio Logares, remarked that the Project presented by Acciona Trasmediterránea for the Vigo Port ”is very difficult to be improved” and that ”the French shipping lines know it and, for this reason, they did not even showed up here”.
Logares added that Acciona and Vigo meet all the requirements to win the tender and that “only a political reason could snatch to the Vigo Port being the head of the route”.
The President of the Shipping Agents Association holds that of the routes to which the French shipping lines opt, at the port of Bilbao, Santander, and Gijón, only on this last one have some “some chance to win with the plan proposed by the Franco-Italian shipping line CGM and Grimaldi”, although he reminded that the project presented by these lines has being returned because if does not fulfil some requirements and it would have to be resent corrected this week to be admitted.
The traffic operated, in Vigo, by Acciona Trasmediterránea with the factory of PSA Peugeot Citroën Group provides competitive advantages that all the other alternatives that applied lack. Logares declared that “the Vigo position is ideal and better than any other offer”.
Sources from the Development Ministry pointed out that the period to find out which are the winners “is estimated in two or three months. This means that by the end of December or the beginning of February we will have news about it.”
However, the Development Ministry decision will not be a deciding factor to award the tender.
The teams that work on the candidate’s selection, both in Spain and France, will have to present their proposals to the intergovernmental commission that finally would be the one in charge of choosing the winning, route and shipping line. In the Spanish case, the proposal would have to be approved by the Council of Ministers; while in the neighbouring country it would have to be purposed and discussed, previously, at the Parliament.
The Shipping Agent Alberto Durán, who was president of the Shipping Agents World Federation, remarked that the proposal of the sea highways was raised a few years ago by this same organization and its goal was to bring closer the Spanish and Italian ports by searoute.
“After the European Commission echoed the idea in view of the threat of collapse of the land highways, this will be the first experience in the world sponsored by two states”, said Durán.
Alberto Durán, who opened the Vigo port to the cruise lines, is convinced about the possibilities of the Acciona candidature. He admitted that “as it already has all the work done throughout many years. The possibilities of Vigo to become the head of the sea highway are real and, in addition to the investments that it would attract, it would strengthen the Port and the economy of the city”. (Source: Faro de Vigo).
Logares added that Acciona and Vigo meet all the requirements to win the tender and that “only a political reason could snatch to the Vigo Port being the head of the route”.
The President of the Shipping Agents Association holds that of the routes to which the French shipping lines opt, at the port of Bilbao, Santander, and Gijón, only on this last one have some “some chance to win with the plan proposed by the Franco-Italian shipping line CGM and Grimaldi”, although he reminded that the project presented by these lines has being returned because if does not fulfil some requirements and it would have to be resent corrected this week to be admitted.
The traffic operated, in Vigo, by Acciona Trasmediterránea with the factory of PSA Peugeot Citroën Group provides competitive advantages that all the other alternatives that applied lack. Logares declared that “the Vigo position is ideal and better than any other offer”.
Sources from the Development Ministry pointed out that the period to find out which are the winners “is estimated in two or three months. This means that by the end of December or the beginning of February we will have news about it.”
However, the Development Ministry decision will not be a deciding factor to award the tender.
The teams that work on the candidate’s selection, both in Spain and France, will have to present their proposals to the intergovernmental commission that finally would be the one in charge of choosing the winning, route and shipping line. In the Spanish case, the proposal would have to be approved by the Council of Ministers; while in the neighbouring country it would have to be purposed and discussed, previously, at the Parliament.
The Shipping Agent Alberto Durán, who was president of the Shipping Agents World Federation, remarked that the proposal of the sea highways was raised a few years ago by this same organization and its goal was to bring closer the Spanish and Italian ports by searoute.
“After the European Commission echoed the idea in view of the threat of collapse of the land highways, this will be the first experience in the world sponsored by two states”, said Durán.
Alberto Durán, who opened the Vigo port to the cruise lines, is convinced about the possibilities of the Acciona candidature. He admitted that “as it already has all the work done throughout many years. The possibilities of Vigo to become the head of the sea highway are real and, in addition to the investments that it would attract, it would strengthen the Port and the economy of the city”. (Source: Faro de Vigo).