The Cabildo, local councils, and the Chamber of Commerce of Fuerteventura have signed a united front to demand that the Ministry of Transport declare the stop in Puerto del Rosario as a Public Service Obligation.
The president of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, Lola García, led the signing of an institutional agreement on Monday with all the mayors of the island and the Chamber of Commerce to request the Ministry of Transport to declare the maritime connection with the Peninsula as a public interest. The measure aims to alleviate the rising costs of transporting goods, which have increased by between 70% and 78% since the shipping company removed the stop in Puerto del Rosario.
An unprecedented alliance against rising costs
The suspension of the stop, confirmed by the General Directorate of Merchant Shipping, occurred because the connection was not listed as an obligation in the current contract, but rather as an optional improvement by the awarded company. Since then, logistical costs have skyrocketed, particularly affecting SMEs and the end consumer, as García reported. "This situation places us at a clear competitive disadvantage," the president stated during the signing of the document.
The agreement requests the Ministry to include the stop in Puerto del Rosario as mandatory and permanent as a Public Service Obligation (OSP). Additionally, it calls for mechanisms to maintain regular connections while the new route tender is completed. To this end, a Permanent Island Table has been established to monitor the process.
"We need urgency in the new tender. We cannot allow rising costs to continue burdening our economy," emphasised the vice president of the Cabildo, Blas Acosta.
A problem that increases the cost of living
The increase in maritime transport directly impacts the final price of products arriving in Fuerteventura. From food to construction materials, everything becomes more expensive, which hits families and small businesses hard. The mayor of Puerto del Rosario, David de Vera, highlighted the "shared concern" for the economic and social development of the island. "It is not just a problem for businesses; it is a problem for all majoreros," he pointed out.
The representatives of the municipalities of La Oliva, Antigua, Pájara, and Tuineje agreed on the urgency of united action. The president of the Chamber of Commerce, Juan Jesús Rodríguez Marichal, insisted that "connectivity is key to economic development" and warned that the delay in the tender is already generating additional costs that are passed on to citizens.
Next steps: institutional pressure and monitoring
The signed document will be sent to various state and Canary Island administrations, as well as to Fuerteventura's representatives in the Canary Islands Parliament, Congress, and Senate, to seek their support. The Permanent Island Table will meet periodically to assess progress and maintain pressure on the Ministry of Transport.
Meanwhile, majoreros will continue to pay more for products arriving by sea, awaiting the central government to address a demand that, in the signatories' view, is a matter of territorial justice. The next meeting of the Table is scheduled for a month from now, coinciding with the start of the new tender process.
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