One of the most significant investments in recent years on the island of Tenerife has been the one allocated to the industrial port of Granadilla, a facility that, despite costing over 200 million euros to date, still lacks the essential services required to operate safely and autonomously.
Since it began operations nearly a decade ago, very few vessels have docked in Granadilla. It is well known that the strong winds are often a major issue in the area where it is situated in the south of Tenerife. This facility is continually buffeted by winds predominantly from the northwest, which can be quite severe on most days throughout the month.
Considering these adverse weather conditions, the entry of ships into a port necessitates priority services that ensure safe docking, as well as the required assistance for all vessels, in case the weather poses a risk to ships already sheltered within the port or those attempting to approach.
It is perplexing that, after more than five years of significantly questioned operations, the lack of a resident towing service at Granadilla port jeopardises daily operations there, as well as the safety of the vessels that dock in this port, especially if weather conditions deteriorate.
Until now, the situation has been managed in the most basic way possible: the vessels operating there must pay for the transfer of tugboats whenever their presence is needed to dock at the facility. However, this detail does not alleviate the absurd situation commonly observed at this costly port in the southern region of the island. Ships in need of assistance to enter or exit Granadilla must wait for the required tugboats. During these complicated operations, the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is often unutilised, meaning that vessels frequently have to wait several days until free tugboats are available to provide their services.
Adding to this absurdity is the fact that the transfer of a tugboat to Granadilla leaves the unit engaged in the contracted services out of service at the port of Santa Cruz for a minimum of eight hours, resulting in a total journey of 70 kilometres one way and the same back to the capital. In many cases, this results in around 14 effective hours where the primary port of the province lacks the tugboats that would typically operate southward.
Although the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the Island Council have touted the advantages of the port of Granadilla for decades, it is incongruous that this infrastructure operates at such a deficient level. Even more troubling is the significant economic and time burden this places on the vessels that rely on their services when faced with issues such as those concerning tugboats.
“THIRD WORLDIST”
The shipping agents and shipowners consulted by DIARIO DE AVISOS have not shied away from expressing their concerns, describing these operational anomalies at the port of Granadilla as “indicative of a third world country.” They assert that “even in other African ports competing in the Canary Islands, such services are considered crucial, as they dictate whether or not infrastructure of this kind is utilised.”
There are numerous reasons why the port of Granadilla struggles to flourish, but absurd issues such as the absence of a permanent towing unit at the facility solidify this multimillion-euro investment as the great unending project of the Canary Islands.
The licence for providing the port towing service is issued by the Port Authority, in accordance with Royal Legislative Decree 2/2011, of September 5, which ratifies the consolidated text of the State Ports and Merchant Navy Law, alongside the List of Specific Prescriptions for the Provision of the Port Towing Service approved by the provincial Port Authority.
