This demand arises after the recent suspension of calls at Puerto del Rosario, confirmed by the General Directorate of the Merchant Navy, as it is not an explicit obligation in the current contract but rather an optional improvement offered by the awarded company. The elimination of this connection has led to a maritime transport cost increase of between 70% and 78%.
Lola García stated that these additional costs directly affect the final consumer and small and medium-sized businesses, placing Fuerteventura at a clear disadvantage. Therefore, the Ministry of Transport and Mobility is urged to include the call at Puerto del Rosario as a mandatory and permanent Public Service Obligation (OSP).
The institutional agreement also requests the Ministry to seek mechanisms to maintain regular calls while the definitive public tender is completed, thus preventing further cost impacts on the island's economy. A Permanent Insular Table has been established to monitor the new route tender.
The vice-president of the Cabildo, Blas Acosta, emphasized the need for speed in the new tender. The mayor of Puerto del Rosario, David de Vera, highlighted the shared concern for the island's economic and social development. Representatives from other municipalities such as La Oliva, Antigua, Pájara, and Tuineje agreed on the urgency of this united effort.
The president of the Chamber of Commerce, Juan Jesús Rodríguez Marichal, stressed the importance of connectivity and inclusion in the OSP, noting that the tender delay is already causing increased costs.
The document signed by the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, the town councils, and the Chamber of Commerce will be sent to various state and Canary Islands administrations, as well as to Fuerteventura's representatives in the Parliament of the Canary Islands, Congress, and Senate, to request their support.
