Article from El Pueblo de Ceuta, written by: Gabriela Sardá
José Manuel Arrojo is the CEO of Nauplia Capital, which holds the concession for Marina Hércules until 2051, and states that they are currently operating “very close to normal” prior to the “invasion.” The investment of nearly 7 million euros remains in place
Ceuta/ José Manuel Arrojo likes Ceuta. He says so at the beginning of the conversation and repeats it, in one form or another, throughout the interview he grants to El Pueblo de Ceuta to outline the future he envisions as an investor in the city following the Moroccan invasion. The president and CEO of Nauplia Capital, the company that manages the Marina Hércules marina, arrived in the city in 2024, when the company acquired 100% of the facility’s shares with the intention of undertaking a “profound transformation.”
Since then, the company has renewed a large part of the workforce, improved services and infrastructure, and prepared an ambitious investment project to turn the marina into one of the city’s tourism landmarks. To date, it estimates an investment of more than one million euros, which will continue to grow. The company has the funds ready to execute a project exceeding six million euros and which, with a new concession pending finalization, could raise the investment to 7.5 million. Only the building permit is missing. What happened on July 30 at Tarajal has not dampened his enthusiasm or that of his team. “Our commitment is as strong as ever, or even stronger,” he maintains.
Q.- What is your connection with Ceuta, how does it all begin?
A.- I had never been to Ceuta until, through a connection of one of my partners, I was introduced to a person who asked me if I was interested in the port of Ceuta. At that time we already had five or six ports and I told him I would have to look into it.
So I went to Ceuta and met the previous owners of the marina. The truth is that the port was severely lacking in care, but it had a lot of potential. We reached an agreement in 2024 and acquired 100% of the port’s shares and we made a project, as we do with all the ports we acquire, to improve it substantially from every point of view. From the infrastructure point of view, from the personnel point of view, which also required considerable attention, from the users’ point of view, as I believe the service was insufficient or deficient.
I met with the users’ representative and we reached agreements. And the key factor, which I think was a success, was bringing in Mehdi as port director. Apart from his training, he’s a guy with a lot of drive, which is what was needed. So my first visit was to see the port and meet with the previous owners, and then I traveled numerous times. I traveled twice more until we signed the deal and then I’ve been going practically every month. And then once Mehdi took charge I’ve traveled quarterly to meet with the Port Authority, which I must say has always supported us and has been really very important in facilitating things for us to carry out the project.
And then with the president of the City and with the whole team. With the various councilors, with whom we have also had a very intense and collaborative relationship. We have always felt very well treated in Ceuta, and in return we have committed to an investment project to completely transform the port. We believe the port is one of the faces of the city. You have the commercial port side and then the tourism point of view. Moreover, it’s a type of tourism with a higher purchasing power than average. We wanted to have a port worthy of what Ceuta deserves and that’s what we’re working on.
Q.- And up to now, before the crisis, what had been achieved at the port of Ceuta in terms of human resources, infrastructure, clients?
A.- We have changed practically the entire workforce, we have hired a new boatyard manager, we have hired a number two, a boatswain, the administration director and we have changed practically all the other sailors. And the director too. So it has been a total change, and I think a radical change with respect to the users.
There was a controversy about how they were being charged, how they were being billed month to month with measurements that had been made by length, by beam and so on, and we reached an agreement to modify the concession agreement to charge by berths and create a transition period between the previous system and the new one. With that we achieved pacification. We also reduced the parking fee to facilitate their access. And then we have been making some infrastructure improvements, especially in the boatyard, we have purchased a new travel lift, as the old one caused a lot of problems.
We have also purchased a forklift to lift the boats and move them within the boatyard. We have reached agreements with the CAS. It is still in development, but we would like the CAS (Real Club Náutico) to be the one to channel all the nautical sports activity that we promote. And thus take advantage of being neighbors so that our users can use their facilities if it is of interest to them. We have collaborated with the Madrid City Council running a campaign to bring transient boats from the peninsula to Ceuta.
We have achieved agreements with all the ports of the Southern Mediterranean for organizing regattas and rallies.
Q.- You arrive in Ceuta in 2024, when the Autonomous City has been betting precisely on nautical tourism for years in its objective to diversify the economy. And, suddenly, on July 30 of this year what happens happens. How do you realize the dimension of what had just occurred?
A.- This has been a shock. Already as a Spanish citizen, seeing that your country’s borders are violated and that an indiscriminate number of people enter without control is a feeling first of shock and then of disbelief at how the Spanish government has not reacted with adequate means to prevent this. At least, once it has occurred, to make all the illegal immigrants leave Ceuta.
Now there are many more forces on the street, but nevertheless the irregular immigrants remain on the beaches, in tents, and camping in the streets. There are facilities that are designed for these circumstances that are not being used. It really is a situation that combines surprise with disbelief at the lack of proportional reaction to what has occurred.
Q.- And at the level of the port and all the projects you have pending, does this mean they are paralyzed or do you plan to resume everything as soon as normality returns?
A.- We invest for 25 years in ports. Our concession lasts until 2052. So we have 26 years left. Our commitment is as strong as ever, or even stronger. And, in fact, apart from the port we have new projects that we would like to execute within the city and we are going to commit to them. I think the city cannot be asked for more than it has done because it is not in its hands. But it is important to resolve this situation for the future. I think for the well-being of Ceuta’s citizens.
We, as a port, reinforced security to prevent irregular immigrants from invading us and to prevent any from entering. We had some transit cancellations because it is normal given the news, but they resumed immediately. So the port is not operating with the same normality as before the invasion, but very close to normal. For our part, as businesspeople, as promoters of the port, what we want is to complete our project.
Well, we want to start it. We are waiting for the city council to give us the building permit once and for all. We have been waiting a long time, but we have a truly transformative project and we are going to build a building that will be emblematic within the city of Ceuta and we are going to change the port from top to bottom.
The only thing we need is a permit. We have all the funds ready to be invested and to execute the project we already presented.
Q.- So it continues at 100%?
A.- At 100% and if we can secure another concession, we are going to do it.
Q.- What investment have you made so far?
A.- Our investment exceeds 6 million euros. And surely if we combine it with another concession we are waiting for we will go to approximately 7.5 million. In 2024 we have invested close to one million euros. What happens is that what we have done is improve what is there, but not transform it. The 6 million transforms the port.
We will have 5,000 square meters of commercial land surface. We have the tenants signed from a year and a half ago. The entire building is pre-leased and we have almost pre-leased most of the commercial premises we are going to build.
There is a lot of interest because it is a privileged location in the city. We are just waiting for them to give us the building permit to start as soon as possible.
Q.- And what can you tell us about that new concession that is pending?
A.- I cannot tell you that because it would violate confidentiality. But it would be something very complementary to what we are doing now and would allow us to make an even greater transformation than we had planned.
Q.- To finish, as businesspeople investing in Ceuta, what do you ask of the Administration in terms of security and guarantees?
A.- We know that the autonomous city has powers that extend to the local police. The National Police and the Civil Guard depend on the Ministry of the Interior and the Army depends on the Ministry of Defense.
We can ask the city for what it can give us, which it has always given us. What we do ask of them is that they must make representations to those responsible in the competent ministries to reinforce security permanently, of course at the border. What cannot be is to have an eight-meter fence and you get to the Tarajal border and everyone slips through there.
An investment was planned so that, instead of making that kind of plastic barrier, it would have been solid. That the investments be executed. This is my personal opinion as a citizen, apart from anything else, I think that in a situation where your territory is invaded the Army has to intervene.
The Army has a commitment to defend the territorial integrity of Spain and it has not defended it because the commanders have not been up to the circumstances. So the city has the mission of negotiating with the ministries involved a reinforcement and a protocol of action to prevent this, because the truth is that this looks like it could happen again at any moment. So the important thing is to practice preventive medicine.