Three large companies are moving into Motril port to set up shop in the ZAL (Zona de Actividades Logísticas) with a total investment of over 4m euros.

This new area of the port was built in 2009 when the new Azucenas Dock almost doubled the port’s capacity. However, this coincided with the beginning of the crisis so that until now this asset had remained unexploited.

The Chairman of the Port Authority, Francisco Álvarez de la Chica, explained that these companies were attracted by the Motril maritime connections with the Moroccan ports of Nador and Alhucemas, as well as the Spanish enclave, Melilla.

The three companies also have the support of a Junta de Andalucia project entitled, Localiza In (although financed by the EU).

The biggest of the three, which represents three quarters of the total investment, will occupy 2,500 sq/m of the logistics area. Fifty workers will be employed to build the installations, as well as the 15 employees belonging to the firm. This company will manufacture aluminum.

Another company, which will invest 600,000 on its new installations, makes cardboard boxes for the food industry. They expect to use 30 builders then 13 factory workers. They aim to provide the packaging for goods leaving Motril for North Africa or Northern Europe.

The last company, with an investment of 721,000 euros will build a warehouse for frozen food, destined for a major, Japanese restaurant chain. Again 30 construction jobs and 11 staff.

All three should be up and running by the end of March.

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