The Propeller Club of Algeciras has held a working meeting with the president of the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA), Gerardo Landaluce, during which the group presented its roadmap for 2026 and conveyed its recognition to the Green Strategy of the Port of Algeciras. The meeting included the Club's president, Isabel Millán Rocha, and board members Daniel Márquez and Manuel Piedra Lara.
The meeting served to strengthen collaboration between the APBA and the Propeller Club, which brings together executives and entrepreneurs from the logistics, maritime, and port sectors in the Strait of Gibraltar area. The board of the group presented to Landaluce the planned lines of activity for the current fiscal year, which include holding regular discussions with sector leaders and organizing thematic meetings on issues affecting the activity of the Port of Algeciras and its port community.
During the meeting, the Propeller Club thanked the participation of Juan Antonio Patrón, head of the Sustainable Development Area of the APBA, and Fidel Ruiz, head of the Sustainability Department, in the discussions that the group organizes regularly. Both officials participated in a session held early this year in which they presented the progress of the Green Strategy of the Port of Algeciras to the Club members, a presentation that the board has rated as particularly positive during the meeting with Landaluce.
In that session, Patrón and Ruiz explained that the Green Strategy signifies a transformation that transcends environmental aspects to become a cross-cutting tool that encompasses all port areas. The commitment of the Port of Algeciras to sustainability began voluntarily in 2009 with the approval of the first environmental policy and has been reinforced with the obtaining of the ISO 14001 certification in 2011, the PERS certification from EcoPorts in 2015, and the EMAS registration in 2018. In 2021, these efforts were articulated in the Green Strategy 2021-2026, recognized by AENOR in 2022 as the first port strategy of the state system aligned and certified with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.
The Green Strategy is structured around 12 sustainability commitments that encompass governance, port-city integration, energy transition, biodiversity, innovation, circular economy, health, training, and reduction of inequalities. All have measurable objectives for 2026 and 2030, framed within a global goal of reducing CO₂ emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
Among the projects that Ruiz presented to the Propeller Club is the electrification of the docks through OPS systems, with an investment of 92 million euros that will allow ships to connect to the land electricity grid and avoid the use of auxiliary engines, with an estimated reduction of 36,757 tons of CO₂ annually. The deployment is supported by the Isla Verde substation, which provides the port with sufficient capacity to anticipate the European obligation by 2030. Moreover, he presented the marine biodiversity projects, such as the installation of biomimetic reefs in Llano Amarillo, which have increased biological richness by 81% in less than a year, and the "Guardians of the Sea" program, focused on the protection of cetaceans through real-time monitoring and scientific dissemination.
The Green Strategy already counts with the adhesion of 40 companies from the Algeciras port ecosystem, which develop their own projects aligned with common objectives. This is complemented by the commitment to local talent through the Algeciras Port Digital Academy and collaboration with educational centers and universities in the area.
The regulatory change resulting from the Sustainable Mobility Law, which makes sustainability a legal obligation, strengthens the position of the APBA, which has preempted European requirements with the creation in 2023 of the Green Office (OSIEV), conceived as a coordination space with companies and the port community.
The Propeller Club of Algeciras is one of the Spanish sections of the International Propeller Club of the United States, an organization present in ports around the world that promotes professional exchange and debate on issues affecting the maritime and port sector. The Algeciras group functions as a meeting point for professionals operating in the Strait of Gibraltar area and maintains regular communication with the APBA through discussions, sector meetings, and meetings with those responsible for various areas of the Port Authority.
The meeting between Landaluce and the board of the Propeller Club takes place at a time of intense activity at the Port of Algeciras, which is simultaneously undertaking the expansion of the TTI Algeciras terminal, the deployment of the dock electrification program, the launch of the Green Energy Hub, and environmental recovery projects for the San Roque coastline, actions that are developed within the framework of a Green Strategy whose recognition by the maritime-port sector is reflected in the assessment conveyed by the Propeller Club to the APBA during this meeting.