Following a question in Parliament, she emphasised that “the undertaking of work in ports is the exclusive responsibility of the port authorities”, adding that this is the result of managerial autonomy granted to them. Furthermore, only five out of the 25 directors of the port are appointed by the state.
Nevertheless, the Port Authority is receiving help from the state-owned organisation, Puertos del Estado, as part of the investigation into the collapse of the infrastructure, which will also produce its own independent report in addition to that produced by the Port Authority itself.
Despite protestations to the contrary, existing laws would seem to indicate that the minister is not fully aware of her responsibilities, particularly given that all infrastructure changes have to be directly approved by her ministry.