The Association of Companies of Services of the Bay of Algeciras (AESBA) has expressed its concern about the situation facing the Maritime Captaincy of Algeciras, whose building remains closed following the damage caused by the recent storm and the deterioration of its facilities.
The closure currently prevents in-person attention at its official headquarters, generating operational difficulties for companies and professionals linked to maritime activity in the Port of Algeciras, one of the most important port enclaves in the Spanish port system.
AESBA emphasizes that a port of the size and strategic relevance of Algeciras requires fully operational and accessible administrative services to ensure normality in the daily management of maritime procedures.
Furthermore, the association once again denounces what it considers abandonment by the General Directorate of Merchant Marine, while criticizing the comparative grievance that, according to them, the port of Algeciras has suffered for decades compared to other port enclaves in different autonomous communities.
In this regard, AESBA reminds that the Strait of Gibraltar is one of the most traveled maritime routes on the planet, making it even more necessary to have fully operational administrative services.
Travel to other captaincies
As a consequence of the closure, companies and professionals in the sector are forced to travel to other maritime captaincies in Andalusia, such as those in Tarifa, Cádiz, or Málaga, to complete certain administrative procedures that must be done in person.
Among these procedures are those related to navigation licenses and other actions that cannot yet be resolved electronically.
As AESBA warns, these trips involve time losses, higher operational costs, and administrative delays that directly affect the efficiency of maritime operations in the port environment.
Urgent repair and provisional solution
In light of this situation, the association considers it a priority to undertake the necessary repairs to the building of the Maritime Captaincy as soon as possible to restore the normality of the service.
While these works are being carried out, AESBA proposes to explore cooperation formulas with the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) to enable a provisional office within the port area itself that allows maintaining in-person attention and processing those procedures that require physical presence.
The organization believes that a temporary solution of this type would help reduce the operational impact of the closure and facilitate the daily activity of companies in the sector until the conditions at the official headquarters of the Maritime Captaincy of Algeciras are fully restored.