Tag: Spain

The Spanish Port of Huelva renewed its EcoPorts’ environmental management standard (PERS) after obtaining it for the first time in 2016. Following this development, ESPO congratulated the Port for this achievement. To receive PERS certification, ports need among others to improve communication with the local community and increase transparency.

The "Serviola" patrol boat, during its surveillance and maritime security operation in the Gulf of Guinea, managed to free the crewmembers of a merchant ship held by a group of nine pirates, on April 9. The crew of the Nigerian flag merchant ship had been kidnapped for four days. The pirates also stole the money and all the valuables of its endowment, as well as a significant part of the provisions.

APM Terminals announced a new Port Moves Per Hour (PMPH) record for a vessel berthed at Juan Carlos I berth, Algeciras terminal, in South Spain, after 187,82  PMPH were registered on the Panamanian-flagged container ship MSC Kalina, on Monday, 25 March.

Spain is in favor of the development of an Emission Control Area (ECA) in the Mediterranean Sea, said Pedro Saura, the country's State Secretary for Infrastructure. The creation of an ECA would implement stricter requirements for sulphur and NOx emissions from ships that sail in these waters. 

The video depicts the moment when a French fishing vessel toppled and fell while undergoing repairs in the Oza dock, in A Coruña shipyard, Galicia, Spain. The 34-metres-long ship went off the wooden wedges that supported it and fell on the dock in front of the workers who were present at the scene.

The port of Ferrol has hosted liquefied natural gas (LNG) refueling operations to ships that use this product as fuel, instead of fuel oil or diesel oil. The two operations were performed on February 23 and 24 respectively. They were carried out on the outer jetty, which is the dock of the inner dock where small and medium-sized cruise ships usually dock when they visit the city. 

APM Terminals Barcelona, Spain has increased reefer capacity by 31%. The electrical capacity of the terminal has also been enhanced, leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 600 tonnes per annum. In addition, 152 reefer plugs have been added at the terminal, increasing the total to 677. New reefer racks facilitate reefers to be stacked up to 4 containers high.

The Government of Gibraltar published a strong protest on February 17, when the Spanish Navy entered the bounds of Gibraltar's maritime claims and commanded merchant vessels to leave Spanish waters. The Spanish vessel identified itself as 'Tornedo P44' and ordered a merchant ship to leave anchorage and depart Spain's territorial waters.

Spain announced that it will construct the second-largest marine national park in the Mediterranean, turning the Cabrera National Park area nine times larger and  taking the total area protected to 90,794 hectares. The park, located south of Mallorca, will offer legal protection for marine life that is threatened, such as corals, dolphins and whales. 

EMSA informed that the Spanish maritime safety agency SASEMAR is using its Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in the southern province of Huelva, for identifying and monitoring oil spills, as well as for additional assistance during search and rescue missions.