Maritime access to return to the Hornillo loading jetty in Aguilas
The Mayoress of Águilas anticipates that small boats will be mooring at El Hornillo in 2027!
It is almost 122 years since the Hornillo loading jetty in Águilas was officially inaugurated on 18th August 1903 (although it was not fully operational until the following year), and now the infrastructure designed by British engineer Gustavo Gillman is at last to provide access from the sea once again after an interruption of many decades.
It Is hoped the restoration project promoted by the Town Hall of Águilas, of which the first phase was completed last year, can be completed by 2027, and when this is achieved it will be possible to access the jetty by sea. However, this will not be on board the cargo ships which once placed Águilas at the forefront of mineral export from Spain!
Instead, floating jetties will allow small boats to moor alongside, adding another tourist attraction to the already dynamic range of sights and adventure activities available in Águilas.
This project has been made viable by the concession of a subsidy of 3 million euros from the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, as a result of which it is envisaged by Mayoress Mari Carmen Moreno that phases 2 and 3 of the project could be undertaken simultaneously.
At the same time, Sra Moreno underlined that the restoration will prioritize the repair and renovation of the original elements of the jetty rather than replacing them with 21st-century equipment – thus avoiding any falsification of Águilas’ historical heritage - and that included in the plans are illumination on the upper deck of the structure to make it visible at night.
The first phase of the project required an investment of approximately a million euros and was carried out between 2021 and 2023 and consisted of repairs to the areas most damaged by erosion over the last 122 years.
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