puerto colon transformation adeje tenerife

Puerto Colón set for £20m transformation

Compiled with the help of artificial intelligence, based on Spanish-language information. Source below the article.

Major overhaul planned for Puerto Colón

Puerto Colón is preparing for a major transformation of its facilities. The company that manages the marina on the coast of Adeje, in the south of Tenerife, has requested an extraordinary 25-year extension to its operating concession, currently valid until 2033, linking the extension to an ambitious investment programme worth more than €20 million.

A marina shaped by four decades of change

The project involves a complete overhaul of infrastructure that, four decades after first opening, has become one of the island’s main hubs for nautical activity and tourism. The scale of Puerto Colón helps to explain the scope of the plans. The complex covers 88,659 square metres, of which 31,052 square metres is water surface – the total area of protected water within the breakwaters – and 18,778 square metres of land. The remainder is made up of docks, protective rubble-mound breakwaters and access areas.

The harbour basin has depths ranging from two to six metres, while the deepest areas reach nine metres and the entrance channel extends to 12 metres. According to the inventory, the facility has 364 water moorings, although other official documents used for the future remodelling put the number of existing berths at 355. In addition, there are 237 dry-storage spaces. The capacity allows it to accommodate vessels of up to 25 metres in length, a dimension that also explains some of the changes now planned for the basin.

From 1983 origins to new ambitions

Puerto Colón was born with a different purpose. The concession was granted by the Council of Ministers on 7 December 1983 for a 50-year period, covering the construction and operation of a marina in the San Eugenio-Torviscas development. Its surroundings, however, have undergone profound transformation since then, driven by the growth of tourism in the south of Tenerife. The port itself has gradually incorporated new activities: boat trips, whale watching, boat rental and charter, diving, and water sports.

Now Puerto Colón wants to face this new reality with a large-scale remodelling. The concessionaire company has asked Puertos Canarios, the regional ports authority, to extend the title by 25 years, bringing the total concession period to 75 years and running until 2058. The request is based on the investments it is committed to making, which, according to the documents submitted, meet the requirements for justifying this type of extension.

Seven key interventions

The operation is conditional on the works being carried out. If the extension is granted, Puerto Colón is committed to completing the investments within the maximum legal period of four years, once the necessary licences and authorisations have been obtained. The project involves seven major interventions affecting both the port area and its connection with Costa Adeje.

The first involves demolishing the existing apartment block – 2,363 square metres of usable space spread over three floors – to build a commercial building in its place, reclaiming the space for port uses and urban integration. The second will reorganise the access system and divert part of the traffic towards the rear perimeter of the boatyard. Specific areas will also be created for bus disembarkation, keeping public transport vehicles out of the port complex.

A new square and a striking helical ramp

One of the most visible interventions will be the renovation of the coastal promenade along the breakwater, around 440 metres in length. The project also includes an accessible ramp and a striking helical structure that will overcome a height difference of approximately 15 metres between Puerto Colón Avenue and the pontoon area. The new connection aims to make the complex more permeable and ease pedestrian movement between the town and the port.

The current dry-storage area will also change function entirely. The winter storage warehouse will be converted into a public car park with around 300 spaces across three levels, retaining the existing structure and without increasing the built volume. The roof, currently used for parking, will be freed of vehicles and become Plaza Puerto Colón, a public space of around 3,817 square metres. The new square will be one of the central elements of the reform. Arranged in stepped terraces, it will connect Colón Avenue with the pontoons and will host hospitality outlets, shops, leisure facilities, tourist information, a children’s play area and ticket sales. It will also feature pergolas fitted with solar panels.

Biggest investment in the boatyard

The project also includes a new building for commercial activity, nautical workshops and offices, as well as a major intervention in the harbour basin and boatyard. The boatyard will receive the largest investment, €7.7 million, within an overall budget of €20.2 million. The conversion of the dry-storage area will cost €3.5 million, while the new Plaza Puerto Colón comes to €2.4 million and the commercial building, workshops and offices €2.6 million.

Fewer moorings, bigger boats

The reform will also change the configuration of the moorings. The preliminary plans start from the 355 berths identified in the current situation and propose reducing them to 231, while increasing the share of spaces for larger vessels. This is not about expanding the port’s capacity but reorganising it to suit a different fleet from the one that existed when Puerto Colón was designed.

At the end of the breakwater, relocating the fuel station will free up space for new uses. A viewpoint-café and a ramp for water sports are planned there, while the current harbourmaster’s building could house a sailing school. The proposal thus incorporates new spaces for leisure, sport and nautical activity.

Environmental improvements

The investment also aims to support the environmental renewal of the facilities. Transforming the dry-storage area while retaining its structure seeks to make the most of the existing construction and avoid greater material consumption, while the new photovoltaic pergolas will contribute to energy generation. The project also includes improvements to lighting and services associated with the moorings.

Decision rests with Puertos Canarios

The extension request turns the 2033 horizon into the starting point of a new phase. Puerto Colón is not merely asking for more time to operate the concession: it is offering an investment of €20.3 million to transform the port as it exists today. The proposal describes a facility with fewer moorings but adapted to larger vessels, more space for pedestrians, a new car park, a public square atop the former dry-storage area, better access and new amenities linked to sport and tourism.

The decision now rests with Puertos Canarios. If the extension goes ahead, the Adeje marina will have another 25 years of concession to carry out a remodelling designed to align its infrastructure with the evolution of Costa Adeje and the nautical activity of southern Tenerife.

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