The president of the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) and vice president of the European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO), Gerardo Landaluce, participated in the II Cajamar Forum for Sustainability, held at the Financial Center of the entity in Almería, where he focused his speech on the need to preserve the maritime connectivity of the ports as one of their main assets, the risk that the European emissions trading system poses for port competitiveness, and the urgency of completing the railway connections in southern Spain. The forum gathered executives from reference companies, institutional leaders, and innovation experts to analyze how sustainable logistics generates economic, environmental, and social value.
Landaluce spoke in the second block of the meeting, dedicated to the logistics service provider companies and moderated by the Commercial Director and Social Economy of Cajamar, Fran Martínez. Also participating in this panel were Juan Manuel Valverde, director of Sustainability and Quality of Ontime Logística Integral; Gabriel Castañares, manager of Management Systems of the Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Directorate of Renfe; and Antonio Ruiz, director of Decarbonization and Strategic Alliances of Moeve.
The president of APBA began by highlighting the strategic relevance of the Andalusian ports on the map of global maritime trade. Landaluce reminded that the Strait of Gibraltar constitutes, "along with Panama, the Suez Canal, and the Strait of Malacca," one of the "four nodal points in all the global transport circuits of cargo traffic." A site he described as an "emblematic place" where east-west and north-south maritime flows converge, acquiring a "special relevance" in the current international context.
Landaluce has extended this importance to all the ports of general interest operating in Andalusia, emphasizing the collaborative work they do to "transmit efficiency and also tranquility in complicated moments like the ones we are living through, especially in the energy sector." In this context, Landaluce pointed out that the trans-European transport networks (TEN-T) "play a fundamental role or should play a fundamental role," particularly because the Andalusian territory intersects two of the nine key corridors of the Spanish State: the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. These routes must provide the "important connectivity" to the hinterland of the ports, a key piece for the territory's economic development.
One of the most forceful messages from the president of APBA's intervention has been his warning about the impact of the European emissions trading system on the continent's ports. Landaluce has warned of the risk of traffic and investment diversion to third countries where this European environmental regulation is not applied, and the consequent loss of connectivity, activity, and jobs this would entail for European ports. In the face of this threat, he emphasized the efficiency of the Port of Algeciras, recognized by the World Bank, and its commitment to sustainability and innovation to be at the forefront of decarbonization and energy transition.
The second major axis of his intervention has been the denunciation of the imbalance between maritime and land connectivity. Landaluce acknowledged that the ports have "very good sea-side connectivity," but noted that there is still a "failure in the logistics chain on the land side." Therefore, he firmly called for the development of the Mediterranean Corridor, the Atlantic Corridor, and the central branch as fundamental elements for progress, emphasizing that this should be a shared objective among all institutions and economic agents.
Referring to the hosting province of the forum, Landaluce expressed recognition for Almería. "We are here in a fantastic, wonderful land, like Almería, and where, really, that railway connection is what is also going to provide efficiency, competitiveness, and sustainability," he stated. For the port authority, the railway connection is not just a simple logistics improvement, but an indispensable condition for the future of the Almería productive fabric. Therefore, he concluded by urging that, together, they maintain the determination to "really demand the materialization of the two corridors in our ports and in our land."
In the same panel, Juan Manuel Valverde argued that "the future of logistics lies in two major transformations: the consolidation of a historically very fragmented sector and the decarbonization of transport," and pointed out that Ontime is progressing on both fronts alongside its clients, preparing its operations so that future energies are "decarbonized and, above all, economically sustainable." Gabriel Castañares, from Renfe, noted that the logistics sector can incorporate the advantages of rail by acting on four axes: transferring the lower energy cost of trains to clients, offering sustainable and complete intermodal solutions, taking advantage of public incentives already underway, and betting on rail highways. Antonio Ruiz, from Moeve, detailed that the solutions the company offers its clients for decarbonization are "multi-energy," including second-generation biofuels such as biomethane, renewable diesel HVO 100, or SAF, produced from waste and compatible with current combustion engines.
The forum was held in a context marked by geopolitical uncertainty arising from the conflict in Iran and its impact on fuel prices and global supply chains. The general director of Cajamar, Sergio Pérez, opened the day stating that "logistics is no longer a secondary element in the profit and loss account" and that "it is a strategic factor" that can represent up to 25% of the final price of the product. Pérez also pointed out that "if we consolidate infrastructures, intermodality, digitalization, and sustainability, this Mediterranean arc can become one of the major logistics axes of southern Europe."
The event also featured a dialogue between the general director of Sustainability of BCC-Grupo Cajamar, Roberto García Torrente, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel García-Margallo, who provided a geopolitical perspective on the current moment. In a first block focused on companies using logistics services, moderated by the director of Corporate and Business Banking of BCC-Grupo Cajamar, Cinta Pérez, Fernando Pérez, operations director of Cosentino; Gonzalo Guillén, CEO of Acesur; and Ángela Baus, general director of fulfillment at PcComponentes, intervened. Isabel Aguilera, an innovation expert and former general director of Google for Spain and Portugal, analyzed intelligent territorial competitiveness, asserting that "we should not choose between competitiveness and sustainability; it is about competitiveness through sustainability."
The president of Cajamar, Eduardo Baamonde, closed the day highlighting the relevance of the moment the forum is held, marked by the impact of the war in Iran. Baamonde indicated the need to analyze how the rise in fuel prices and the consequences of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz affect the economic situation and international logistics, assuring that "in our country we have an efficient logistics sector and that, despite the geopolitical situation, its services are guaranteed." The president of Cajamar added that the entity, in light of the current geopolitical uncertainty, "will strengthen its support to ensure that the supply chain continues to function."