The renovation will integrate the sail of the Mistral and rehabilitate the shipyard building
On Tuesday, July 8, 2025 | Viewed: 1,277 times | Video | Audio | Printable Version
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The Cartagena City Council and the Port Authority presented on Monday the Phase II of the «De Faro a Faro» project, which will involve the integral transformation of the Santa Lucía port front into a large public space open to the sea. The intervention covers over 20,000 square meters and is expected to begin before the end of the year, once the bidding process is completed, as explained by the Mayor of Cartagena, Noelia Arroyo, the government delegate, Mariola Guevara, and the President of the Port Authority, Pedro Pablo Hernández.
The mayor has described this action as «a fundamental step in the integrative project for Cartagena,» emphasizing that it is an intervention «for and by Santa Lucía,» which will allow its residents to «gain a new public space,» while the entire city can rediscover its maritime tradition in this historic corner.
The lands to be intervened were previously used for logistics or industrial purposes and were closed to citizen traffic. With this intervention, over a hectare will be freed up to create squares, garden areas, and rest spaces, in addition to another 12,000 square meters around the pier and a coastal promenade that will connect to Cala Cortina. The recovered areas will be managed by the Cartagena City Council, which will take over their maintenance and revitalization once the works are completed.
The new urban front will include green areas, benches, efficient lighting, shaded areas, direct access to the sea, and spaces prepared for cultural, sports, and neighborhood events. Where there were fences, warehouses, and asphalt before, «we will soon have a promenade open to the sea, with unobstructed views and public services,» summarized the mayor.
The Government delegate celebrated the presentation of this action as an important boost for the city and the neighborhoods that will «bring life and revitalize,» as the goal is to integrate the port into the urban environment.
The President of the Port Authority highlighted that the project «is an example of the institutional collaboration model that works and transforms the city and its port with criteria of integration, sustainability, and respect for the identity of each space.» Hernández emphasized that Santa Lucía, despite its historical importance, «had been left out of the major transformations of the port,» and that this project corrects that situation with an intervention designed «to connect the neighborhood with the rest of Cartagena and to recover its memory.»
Among the heritage elements included in the design is the recovery of the old shipyard, which will be reinstalled in its original location with restored machinery and the slipway with the traditional fishing boat currently located in the Techos Bajos area. This set will be part of a small outdoor interpretation center.
A few meters away, the sail of the Mistral submarine will be installed, recently donated by the Inglés brothers. The piece will be integrated into a platform that will reproduce, through nighttime lighting, the complete silhouette of the submarine. In addition to its symbolic value, it will be the first physical milestone of the «Cartagena, Submarine City» project, jointly promoted by the City Council and the Port Authority to strengthen Cartagena’s connection with Spanish naval and submarine history.
Hernández emphasized that the intervention «is not just an urban intervention, but also a commitment to social cohesion, urban regeneration, and environmental improvement.» According to him, the design aims to make the space not only a transit area but a useful environment in the day-to-day life of the residents of Santa Lucía and the entire city. «The port ceases to be a border and becomes a meeting space. We continue to advance along the path marked by Héroes de Cavite and the Cala Cortina trail, but now focusing on a neighborhood with soul and its own history,» he added.
The mayor recalled that this project adds to other already executed actions, such as the Cala Cortina trail or the remodeling of the Alfonso XII pier, and anticipates future transformations in El Espalmador and the surroundings of Mount Galeras, following their acquisition by the City Council. «Cartagena is undergoing a true metamorphosis facing the sea, step by step, with each of these actions,» Arroyo affirmed.
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