Maritime Rescue to strengthen its fleet in the Canary Islands in a timely manner to be able to respond to the increase in work suffered by its professional staff on the islands due to the migration crisis. With too many hours of work without rest for the various ships, this announcement has been received very positively and will seek relieve the load of troops. For the moment, it will be a specific reinforcement of its fleet personnel in the Canary Islands with a total of six workers.
In a press release, the Maritime Rescue and Safety Society, which is part of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility through the General Directorate of the Merchant Navy, indicated that it would be hiring a additional crew member for the three rescues from the Canary Islands, which until now did not have this reinforcement for the ships Nunki, Alphard and Tenerife.
This strengthening of six new workers This means having two additional professionals for Salvamar since the changeover is weekly, and will allow these three ships to be incorporated into the rotation of units that Salvamento Marítimo carries out on the islands to avoid overloading the ships in the areas of greatest activity.
Furthermore, due to the current migratory situation in the Canary Islands, Maritime Rescue will guarantee the rest crews when returning to port after 22:00, since the following day, physical presence in the maritime unit will not be necessary, unless technical circumstances require it.
Currently, Rescue has two rescue coordination centres (Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas); two helicopters (Las Palmas and Tenerife South); a fixed-wing aircraft (Las Palmas); two itinerant tugboats (Heroínas de Sálvora-Santa Cruz-Miguel de Cervantes-Las Palmas); ten lifeboats (three Tenerife, one El Hierro, one Gomera, one La Palma/two Gran Canaria, one Fuerteventura, one Lanzarote); four maritime guard-type rescue patrol boats (one El Hierro, one Gran Canaria, two Lanzarote); and a rescue and anti-pollution equipment base (Tenerife).
Finally, Salvamento indicated that the current number of boats in the archipelago allows the distribution of resources without leaving any area without coverage and stressed that with the incorporation of this reinforcement in all the recoveries of the Canary Islands, the rotation and rest capacity of the most active ships.
