The senator for Tenerife and general secretary of the PSOE on the Island, Pedro Martín, raised with the State Government the need to extend the inspection hours at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife to expedite the clearance of goods to shops and supermarkets. The initiative has been approved by the Ministry in charge, Territorial Policy, and has already been implemented at the ports of La Luz and Las Palmas. Martín presented a motion in the Upper House to urge the Spanish Government to introduce greater flexibility in cargo inspections at the island’s main port. Tenerife would thus have access to extended hours “which it should also be entitled to,” according to the Socialist senator. This measure was proposed by Pedro Martín during his term as president of the Cabildo (2019-2023) and responds to a demand from the commercial distribution and supermarket sectors, which require greater efficiency to have goods available on days when the service was not previously provided.
Transmitted demand
Pedro Martín points out: “I have conveyed this demand to Minister Ángel Víctor Torres, given his knowledge of maritime traffic in Canarias and the sensitivity shown to improve the services and competitiveness of our ports.” His ministry, Territorial Policy, must now make a statement. This possibility had already been raised in the previous term with Martín as president of the Cabildo and member of the Board of Directors of the Port Authority of the province. He had the support of this institution and the sectors targeted by the initiative. The health inspection services are integrated into the Government Delegation in Canarias and therefore depend on the Ministry of Territorial Policy, although their actions are coordinated with the departments of Health and Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Inspections are carried out on imports and exports to ensure the safety of the dispatched products.
Efficiency for goods
Extending hours would allow the sector to have goods more quickly at a time of higher traffic and therefore demand, especially for the clearance of perishable products, which need immediate transport to stores upon arrival at the port. In June of last year, the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife announced the reinforcement and streamlining of control and inspection tasks for goods. The Port Authority added that it was tendering the concession for a “support service” for the center located in Cueva Bermeja. The contract also included the possibility of extending hours. Nearly ten months later, at least for now, it has only been an announcement and little else.
