Traditional wooden boat building, an ancient craft that uses wood and seawater to construct classic vessels like jábegas and sardinales, has recently been registered as a Cultural Interest Asset (BIC) in the General Catalogue of Andalusian Historical Heritage. This recognition highlights the importance of workshops such as Astilleros Nereo, one of the few in Spain that keeps this tradition alive and the only one in Málaga.
“"We are one of the few shipyards left in Spain and the only one in Málaga. These are traditional boats where no plastic is used, only cut logs, cured in a marine environment. These are vessels built with the same pattern as thousands of years ago."
At the heart of the workshop, a replica of the Brigantine Gálveztown is under construction, a large oak wood vessel expected to be completed by 2031, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. This project aims to honor Bernardo de Gálvez and represents a strategic milestone for Málaga and Spanish history.
The space also houses about fifteen boats, including bucetas, Latin-rigged sardinales, and two jábega boats, as well as Marca España projects, such as a Phoenician boat found in Mazarrón, Murcia, sponsored by Unesco. Eleven additional boats have been restored through a training program involving 125 volunteers and students from the San Telmo School of Art and Design and the Erasmus program.
The shipyard's activity, which has been in its current location for over a century, is now threatened by the expansion of the Pedregalejo Promenade, which began in October. The works could impact the production process that requires beaching the wood and letting it rest in seawater, a crucial step for its curing and durability.
“"If it is actually carried out, the traditional wooden boat building as a Cultural Interest Asset and the industrial complex that is Astilleros Nereo would disappear. It would be an attack on Spanish historical heritage as it is considered. Therefore, a crime."
The shipyard proposes a "wooden path" as an alternative, which would be more respectful of the Coastal Law and environmental conservation, promoting a "blue economy." Several legal actions have been taken, including a complaint to the Guardia Civil, and Article 46 of the Spanish Constitution has been invoked in defense of historical heritage. A previous lawsuit in the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia (TSJA) in 2019 ruled in favor of the shipyard, ordering the Ministry of Culture to update the protection status, a ruling that has not yet been implemented.
