The North-African ferries are a godsend but very noisy if you live near Motril Port, so measures will be taken to bring back a little peace and quiet.

It’s not so much during the day, as far as the good folk of Barrio de Varadero are concerned, but the nighttime with the constant rumbling of the ship’s generator.

The government agency, Puertos del Estado is carrying out a study, the results of which will be used in all the ports of the land, using Motril Port as the basis.

Getting back to the Melilla ferry; this ship is moored in the main quay all night with the generator motors whining away throughout the small hours, a hundred metres away from nearby housing.

To combat this, during nine months, starting from the end of the year, an external company will carry out a survey on behalf of the Quality and Environment Division of the Port Authorities. They will measure the decibel levels and design measures to counter them.

There are two measures that can be taken, in the case of the ferries: the construction of a sound screen and – beautifully simple – plugging the ferry into a shore electricity supply so that the generators can be turned off. Admittedly, such a connection will be expensive for the ferry company and the sound screen will be expensive for the port but where a good night’s sleep is concerned…

(News: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)