Comercio Anglo-Español (Anglo-Spanish Trading)
The Spanish colony of Villa Real is relatively small and weak when compared to some of the larger territories of the European powers, especially Britain and Belgium. It was never meant to be a large colonial possession and was merely founded to be a modest trading centre but events overtook this. It is ideally suited for the dangerous but profitable task of harvesting liftwood from the Electris Highlands to the south and as long as the colony fills its quota for transport back to Earth it has a wide degree of latitude as to how it runs its affairs. The vast majority of imported human goods come via the British or Belgium colonies and Comercio Anglo-Español was established to specifically trade with the British. It has offices in both Syrtis Major and Villa Real with the aim of profitable trade between the two colonies. The company was awarded the licence to sell excess liftwood, after the Spanish export quota had been met, to the British; this has been very profitable.
The head of the company is Marcus Steuermann who had arrived on Mars as part of an ill-fated Dutch mission that crashed near the city of Oleon Minor. The survivors scattered across the Eastern Basin with Steuermann using his excellent commercial skills to trade his way till he eventually ending up in Villa Real. Preferring to be a big fish in a small pond he settled in the Spanish Colony and bought the Comercio Anglo-Español which had not fared well up to his arrival. It was Steuermann’s idea to trade the excess liftwood to the British and it has been a very profitable venture for all involved.
