The Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has implemented enhanced security measures and controls for passengers and luggage at the capital’s port this Wednesday, specifically for regular inter-island ferry routes. This measure is set to be gradually expanded until it encompasses all departures of this kind and all ports within the province.
On this day, passengers of Fred Olsen Lines at the Chicharrero port were the first to experience the operation of this system, which includes screening of hand luggage through a scanner and the security arch set in place for this purpose, thereby mirroring the procedures found at airports.
This initiative enhances security measures against potential threats and assures users of regular passenger services the utmost peace of mind during their sea voyages between our ports.
The Port Authority emphasises that this initiative is in line with the directives from the Resolution of the Secretary of State for Security from the Ministry of the Interior, pertaining to the Port Protection Plan and pursuant to Royal Decree 704/2011, dated 20 May, which ratifies the Regulation for the Protection of Critical Infrastructures. It also adheres to Royal Decree 1617/2007, dated 7 December, which enacts measures to enhance the security of ports and maritime transport.
On Wednesday, nearly one hundred inspections were conducted, encompassing all passengers, luggage, and vehicles boarding the 10:00 a.m. service to Agaete, utilising the aforementioned security resources installed at the maritime station to ensure no passenger enters the pre-boarding zone of the vessel without having undergone the necessary checks.
With assistance from the Civil Guard, who oversee this task, vehicles in the pre-boarding area are also scrutinised. Moreover, controls will also be initiated for passengers and vehicles utilising Naviera Armas-Trasmediterránea vessels, to be conducted within the shipping company’s own concession where the requisite resources have been established.
Throughout October, twenty-two random checks will be executed at all ports governed by the Port Authority, commencing this Wednesday with a comprehensive approach aimed at fulfilling the security mandates from the Ministry of the Interior, thereby consolidating the province’s ports as secure infrastructures aligned with current requirements and regulations.
The Port Authority indicates that the success of this initiative relies on close collaboration between the Port Police at each facility and the Civil Guard present at the various ports, along with private security firms whose personnel, trained in radiology, are responsible for managing security equipment.
All this is achieved through ongoing cooperation with the shipping companies, ensuring that the procedures are conducted efficiently and smoothly, to prevent any delays in vessel departure times due to these controls.
