On Tuesday, 23 September 2025, the Hotel Mencey in the capital of Tenerife hosted a new edition of the Canary Islands Ports Connectivity Forum Conference, a meeting that brought together institutional representatives, businesspeople and experts from the maritime sector to analyse the challenges and opportunities facing the archipelago's port infrastructure in the context of the energy transition and European regulations.
Among the main speakers were the president of the Port Authority of Las Palmas, the president of the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Pedro Suárez, and the president of the Fred. Olsen shipping company, along with other experts in sustainability and energy policy.
The presentations addressed key issues such as the electrification of docks, the role of biofuels and green hydrogen, the economic efficiency of new technologies, and the need to adapt national and European legislation to the specific conditions of the Canary Islands as an outermost region.
The president of the Port Authority of Las Palmas stressed the urgency of moving forward with the electrification of ports, a process that will require an investment of more than £100 million in her area. The viability of green hydrogen as a clean alternative was also discussed, although challenges remain in terms of storage and production costs.
The debate included references to liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a transitional energy source towards the decarbonisation of maritime transport, recalling that the Port of Tenerife was a global pioneer in its implementation. The importance of biofuels as a complementary option for reducing the carbon footprint was also highlighted.
The president of the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Pedro Suárez, analysed the impact of the new European regulations on maritime fuels and the need for the Canary Islands to maintain a competitive position vis-à-vis the new ports under development in Africa, which are emerging as potential direct competitors in the coming years.
The president of Fred. Olsen, for his part, emphasised the importance of improving infrastructure and passenger services, mentioning the need to find a definitive solution for the Port of Los Cristianos and the planning of the Port of Fonsalía. He also called for subsidies and aid to be included in the General State Budget in order to facilitate the adaptation of shipping companies to new environmental requirements.
The meeting also served to reflect on the strategic role of the Canary Islands in maritime trade between Africa, America and Europe, and on the importance of promoting a sustainable and competitive blue economy.
The coordinator of the Playa Paraíso Technology Park project highlighted the importance of attending this type of forum, within the framework of the proposal to create a marina and a marine research centre in the vicinity of the Hard Rock Tenerife Hotel, an initiative aimed at nautical tourism, marine research and R&D&I.
The conference concluded with an optimistic view of the future of the Canary Islands' ports, reinforcing the need for collaboration between institutions, companies and universities — such as the University of La Laguna, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the European University of the Canary Islands — to move towards a sustainable, connected and competitive port model. In this regard, the Port of La Luz, located in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is consolidating its position as a national and international benchmark in freight, passenger and cruise traffic, while the region as a whole faces the challenge of combining growth, sustainability and energy efficiency.
As part of our own drive to contribute to this strategic horizon, at Playa Paraíso Technology Park we remain committed to strengthening the link between innovation, nautical tourism and the blue economy in the Canary Islands. Our recent participation in the first Canary Islands Boat Show, held at the Tenerife exhibition centre, has allowed us to share projects, consolidate institutional alliances and raise the profile of initiatives such as the future marina with a marine research centre next to Hard Rock Tenerife, linked to R&D&I. This reaffirms our commitment to serving as a platform for the Canary Islands to move towards a more sustainable, technological and competitive port model, in line with the energy and environmental challenges of the 21st century.
–Article in the Canarias7 newspaper on the development and tourist appeal of Playa Paraíso (Adeje, Tenerife):
https://www.canarias7.es/canarias/tenerife/playa-paraiso-mejor-20220318111616-nt.html
–Facebook post related to the dissemination of activities and events linked to nautical initiatives in the Canary Islands:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JpZnrk9G5/
–MovCanarias page with information on events, fairs and noteworthy activities on the islands:
https://movcanarias.com/events/
In La Laguna, on 6 October 2025.
The coordinator,
Miguel Muñoz
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| Panoramic view of García Sanabria Park with its flower clock (Santa Cruz de Tenerife). |
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