The Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez, accompanied by the State delegate in the Consortium, Fran González, visited today the work in the so-called cross building where the future Center for Improvement of the Maritime Service of the Benemérita and the Maritime Group of the Strait will be installed in the summer
The works, which include an exclusive security system for the building, will be undertaken over the next four months and have a total investment of around half a million euros.
Fran González has highlighted the institutional collaboration during these months and has thanked the Secretary of State for his commitment to these facilities in the Free Trade Zone of Cádiz "which reinforce the link between the city and the Civil Guard with these two unique projects that will attract wealth and added value to the area"
The Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez Ruiz, visited the Cádiz Free Trade Zone this morning as part of his visit to the Cadiz province to see first-hand the project and the start of the adaptation works on the facilities that will house the Strait Maritime Group and the Civil Guard Maritime Service Improvement Center, announced at the end of last year.
During the visit, Rafael Pérez was accompanied by the State delegate in the Consortium, Fran González, who received him at the Headquarters where they held an institutional meeting to learn all the details of the installation of these two Benemérita units in the city, as well as the main lines of work developed by the Free Trade Zone in the province of Cádiz.
The event was also attended by Lieutenant General, Juan Luis Pérez; the head of the Cádiz Civil Guard Command, Colonel Jesús Núñez; the head of the Strait Maritime Group, Lieutenant Colonel Eduardo Lobo; and the head of the Maritime Service School, Lieutenant Colonel Luis Guijo, in addition to the subdelegate of the Government in the province, Jose Pacheco and part of the Consortium's management team.
Once the work meeting had been held, the visit moved to the facilities of the equipment - located in the area of the old Altadis - which will house both the Estrecho Maritime Group and the new Maritime Improvement Center of the Civil Guard and in which the Cádiz Free Zone has already begun the conditioning works, which have an investment of around half a million euros and an execution period of four months, so it is planned that are ready for next June.
The visit to the equipment has allowed the Secretary of State, Rafael Pérez, to see first-hand the work of setting up the building with the explanations of the Technical Director of the Free Zone, Felipe Martínez, who has guided the tour along the 2,517 m with Fran González.2 spread over three floors, of which the ground floor has 517 m2 while the first and second have 1,000 m2 respectively.
During the tour, Rafael Pérez has checked the progress of the work, which is carried out by the Plaza Sistemas company, and which consists of a general conditioning of the building, - deteriorated due to the passing of the years -, and the installation of a modern security system exclusive to the area, in which video surveillance cameras will be installed indoors and outdoors, reinforcement of signage and delimitation of the security area of the property, which also has with an adjacent area with 38 parking spaces.
The improvement works also include the recovery of the waterproofing of the equipment, improvements in access, replacement of carpentry and blinds, painting, air conditioning, electrical installation and fire protection, among others.
Floor by floor, the tour has revealed the uses and spaces planned for both units, with multipurpose classrooms, a maritime safety classroom, a changing room area for each unit, a navigation simulator classroom and a technology and communication classroom (with radio simulators), as well as a large assembly hall and office, archive and computer area, among others.
The distribution of these spaces has been adapted to the needs of the two units. Thus, the new Maritime Service Improvement Center will provide specialized training to members of the Civil Guard and also other security forces and bodies, both in Spain and in third countries. This training includes Patron of the Maritime Service of the Civil Guard, Sailor Mechanic of the S.M. of the G.C., Maintenance Mechanic of the S.M. of the G.C., company courses (MAN, CARTERPILLAR, MTU, REINJET, etc.), seminars and conferences related to the Coast Guard functions of the Civil Guard.
In the case of the Strait Maritime Group, a unit that fights against drug trafficking and illegal immigration, the management of the unit's personnel, logistical and operational management of the unit's vessels (oceanic vessel) will be carried out from this definitive headquarters. “Río Miño and two deep-sea vessels, Río Arlanza and Río Guadalete), in addition to the technical inspection and maintenance management of the fleet of vessels of the Maritime Service of the Civil Guard, from Huelva to Alicante.
At the end of the visit, the State delegate, Fran González, thanked Rafael Pérez for his interest in the project and his commitment to Cádiz and the Free Trade Zone so that the arrival of these two units of the Civil Guard has materialized. For González, "this new equipment that we are already preparing has been perfectly adjusted to the needs of the Corps and is an excellent space to host these two services due to its proximity to the port area of the Ribera dock and its strategic location, to which we must also add the improvement of connections through the new access to the Altadis area that will allow greater control and permeability to the area."
"For the Free Zone of Cádiz it is a source of pride to have both units in our facilities in a few months, which will allow us to enhance the services of the Civil Guard, also coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Maritime Service of the Civil Guard in Cádiz; two unique projects that will further strengthen, if possible, the links between Cádiz and the Benemérita and will attract wealth and added value to the area," he noted. Gonzalez.
Agility in processing
It must be remembered that the visit of the Secretary of State for Security takes place just two months after the announcement of the arrival of the Strait Maritime Group and the future Civil Guard Service Improvement Center on November 30, with the signing of the ten-year lease contract for the facilities between the Consortium and the Civil Guard Command of Cádiz and that, since that date, the Free Zone has expedited the entire procedure so as to shorten the deadlines and put launch both services as soon as possible.
Thus, barely a week after the signing, and in the first week of December, the works to adapt the cross-shaped building were put out to tender, which have already begun after being awarded at the beginning of this month.