Shipping Magnate Romualdo Alvargonzález Figaredo Passes Away

The Asturian shipowner Romualdo Alvargonzález Figaredo (Gijón, 1951) passed away on Saturday morning in a tragic traffic accident in Cantabria, at kilometer 167 of the A-67 motorway, heading towards Palencia and near Cartes, when his vehicle was struck by a trailer that had detached from a truck traveling in the opposite direction, reports the Government Delegation.

The truck's trailer, which was carrying straw, detached from the tractor unit for unknown reasons and crossed the median, invading the lanes of the A-67, at which point the vehicle driven by Romualdo Alvargonzález, who was traveling alone, was passing. Another car also collided with the trailer, and its driver was taken by ambulance from 061 to the “Marqués de Valdecilla” University Hospital and is in serious condition, although her life is not in danger.

Together with his brother Gonzalo, Romualdo Alvargonzález Figaredo led the Ership Group, a benchmark in the Spanish shipping sector, which corresponds to a family business of Asturian origin.

Son of Juan Alvargonzález González de la Buelga and Dominica Figaredo Sala, he initially served as an officer in the Navy, which he left to dedicate himself to his family's business, both Naviera Alvargonzález and later Ership and the shipping management of the Masaveu Group.

An officer in the Navy on leave and honorary consul of Finland in Asturias, a position he had recently retired from upon reaching the mandatory age, the Finnish ambassador to Spain, Sari Rautio, was preparing an event for next February in Madrid, together with her colleagues Mariano Sánchez Martínez, honorary consul in Pilar de la Horadada, and Carlos Pereda Pérez, honorary consul in Santander, to whom the President of the Republic of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, has awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland in recognition of their services to the Nordic country.

An extraordinary person, with exceptional human values and a great capacity for work, a deep connoisseur of the national shipping sector, as well as a dear friend, the tragic death of Romualdo Alvargonzález Figaredo, “Ruma”, has caused profound shock both inside and outside Spain, where he was projecting the expansion of the family business.

May he rest in peace, and our deepest condolences go to his family and friends in the face of such a painful and irreparable loss.

Photo: Marcos León / LNE