• 3 min de lectura
• 3 min de lectura
It's not every day you see the top of a lighthouse fly. The iconic Cíes Islands Lighthouse has been the protagonist of a delicate and spectacular, extremely complicated maneuver since early this morning, which will culminate in the installation of a new lantern transported in pieces by a helicopter.
After traveling by boat from Bouzas to the Carracido dock yesterday, Tuesday, the two main pieces that form the lighthouse lantern began their final aerial journey. In a display of great precision that is leaving striking images over the estuary, a specialized helicopter is lifting the components one by one to the summit, including the 1,000-kilo glass body and the large 1,500-kilo upper metal dome. Once at the top, technical teams will work hand in hand to fit and assemble each piece into its definitive place.
With this intervention, to which the Port Authority of Vigo has allocated more than €300,000, the historic lighthouse will shed years of wear caused by the harsh marine climate. The work is being carried out by Excavaciones y Construcciones Laureano Covelo, S.A., which has Mediterráneo Señales Marítimas, S.L., a specialized company in charge of coordinating the work related to the assembly of the lantern. For its part, the transport and hoisting operation has been carried out with the participation of Helitrans Pyrinees, S.L., responsible for helicopter operations. The operation is being supervised at all times by personnel from the APV's Infrastructure Area, the Works and Blue Economy Department, and the Ecological Transition and Sustainability Division, with the Maritime Signals team at the forefront.
Clean energy to continue illuminating the estuary
Taking advantage of this overhaul, the Port of Vigo has taken another step in its commitment to the Cíes Islands by installing a new photovoltaic power plant. Thus, thanks to improvements in the roof and new panels and batteries, the lighthouse will gain autonomy and reduce its emissions, using solar energy to keep its light on every night with the utmost respect for this natural enclave.
However, this renovation is only the first step of the plan devised by the organization chaired by Carlos Botana to care for and enhance the port's maritime heritage, as the Port Authority plans to rehabilitate the building annexed to the lighthouse to give it a second life and turn it into a small museum where visitors can discover the stories of the old lighthouse keepers, the sunken ships that lie in the estuary, and the great natural wealth of this corner of the Atlantic.
