Anybody who remembers the sleepy Motril Port from the 80’s can only feel astounded by just how much it has grown in the last decade.

Until 2005 Motril Port came under the administration of Almería Port but it was that year that it finally achieved its administrative independence… and began to rock!

Now, in just one week – between the 10th and 18th of April, it received and processed 42 ships – it never used to get that many in a year before!

This number includes the ferries belonging to the shipping lines, Armas and FRS, operating from Motril, serving Melilla, Nador, Alhucemas and Tangiers; these made up 24 visits. There were also 16 freighters and two cruise liners.

Just the freighters moved 100,000 tonnes of freight, including 15,500 tonnes of treacle, 29,000 tonnes of fuel and 8,000 tonnes of fertilizer.

As for container shipping, JSV shipping line, operating between the Canary Islands and Motril on a weekly basis, has moved 500 containers in the first quarter of the year.

We won’t bore you with more figures, but you can’t help but knuckle back a tear of pride over how well Motril Port is doing, despite the Central Government’s incomprehensible attitude in favouring Málaga and Almeria with juicy subventions whilst denying the same to Motril.

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