José Luis Almazán: "The private sector is taking over port investments".
First of all, the post-pandemic transportation crisis is being felt, among others, in the electronics sector. Most semiconductor materials and chips are manufactured in China. With delays in their shipment, a new crisis has arisen. It stems from movement restrictions during the pandemic. It has resulted in delays in supply and price increases for needed items. Faced with this situation, States need to act.
It is estimated that it will take almost two years to restore normality to logistics supply chains.
October 21, José Luis Almazán, during a meeting with the Secretary of State for Transport, Mobility and Urban AgendaThe Spanish Government, he explained to the Executive that it was necessary to address a "change of model, in the governance of the Spanish port system of general state interest that, having been successful in the past, needs to be adapted to respond to the challenges of the present".
Collaboration between the State and private investment
Last Thursday, the case of Samsung in the United States was exposed in the program "Horizonte", on channel Cuatro. The South Korean company had reached an agreement with the US government. The US agreed to build a chip factory in Texas and another semiconductor factory in Arizona. In this way, the state is facing the electronics crisis and promoting domestic investment and employment. Difficulties in transportation jeopardize immediate supply processes and raise the desirability of sourcing goods.
At the aforementioned meeting, Almazán, who also worked in state institutions such as the port authority of Melilla, added that the participation of the private sector, as investor, together with the public sector, as regulator, was unavoidable, thus introducing the participation of the private initiative in the decision making and governance of the port system, essential in guaranteeing the operation of the logistics chains of transport and supply. This forum was also attended by the director of MSC Administration in Valencia. María Dolores Soto, demanded greater communication between port authorities and private concessionary companies in the maritime port area.
José Luis Almazán's opinion on the Samsung case
Along the lines of the Samsung case; José Luis Almazán shared this point of view of the need for private enterprise to collaborate with the public sector.It would have a positive impact not only on the industry, but also on the Spanish economy and would contribute to making ports more efficient as essential links in transport chains. In any case, this would be nothing new, José Luis Almazán, former Director of the Port Authority of the Port of Melilla, warned that "in the last 10 years the private sector has taken over and is investing more than the Administration".
A possible lowering of port fees
Finally, all those present agreed on a measure to boost the port sector for the benefit of the national economy. This measure would be to lower port taxes, reducing the cost of transport and the final price of products. "The current port taxes were fixed in 1992, when the great investments in port enlargements were still to be made", nowadays the capacity increases, - achieved with strong investment and European aids, satisfy the demand, and the new investments are being made fundamentally by the private sector, concluded Almazán.
