El Puerto

The Port Authority held a ceremony this morning to honor the entity's last lighthouse keepers on the occasion of the centenary of the activation of the lantern of the current Ons lighthouse. President Jose Benito Suárez Costa presented each of them with a Sargadelos ceramic replica of the Ons lighthouse, where they served. Those attending the ceremony included Gerardo Alonso, a lighthouse keeper still on active duty; the recently retired Ricardo Carracedo, Jesús Carracedo, and Enrique Abati; and Fernando Liste, who was a lighthouse keeper on Ons in 1976. They represent the nearly 60 lighthouse keepers who have served on the island. In addition to showing them a video about their history at the lighthouse, Suárez Costa thanked them for their service, which he described as "a true example of public service and dedication." The president highlighted the importance of a profession “with high human value, since the lighthouse keepers on Ons Island have served throughout its history as mechanics, practitioners, teachers, judges, and everything else needed by the island's inhabitants.” He also discussed with them the significant technological advancements to which they have had to continually adapt “without losing sight of what was for centuries a completely artisanal and fundamental job for navigational safety.” Suárez Costa wanted to thank them for their work as those responsible for all the maritime signals in the estuary, “but not only that, but during the course of their profession they became true guardians of maritime historical heritage, collecting, restoring, and caring for pieces that we hope to make available to all citizens in the near future through a museum-like use of the lighthouse that is compatible with its primary function as a maritime signal.” This year, the Port Authority published an extensive research work on the history of maritime signals in the Pontevedra Estuary, entitled “Red to Port: History of the Lights of the Pontevedra Estuary.” For the first time, the book compiles the details and history of each of the signals that aid navigation in the estuary, from the Ons and Tambo lighthouses to the small lights on the docks of the various ports from Aldán to O Grove, including the beacon towers that guide safe channels for maritime routes within the estuary. The authors of this book are Enrique Abati, who was first a lighthouse keeper and then Head of the Maritime Signals Service of the Port Authority until his recent retirement, and María Eyo, Head of the Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility Division of the Port Authority. They also co-authored another publication last year on heritage: “Ons, the Memory of the Lighthouse,” which presents an inventory of historical artifacts related to maritime signaling and safety. The Port Authority, “aware of its role in corporate social responsibility,” stated Suárez Costa, has distributed both works to libraries, archives, and maritime museums with the aim of sharing and contributing to the dissemination of the historical memory and cultural heritage associated with the Port of Marín.