David Herrera calls on the State to move stolen fishing boat moored at Gran Tarajal

Tuineje mayor David Herrera has asked the Government Delegation to move the vessel intercepted in Canary Islands waters last Friday and moored at Gran Tarajal quay.

Herrera said the move had been made without taking account of the local council or the Canary Islands Government, and that the State authorities had yet to send any official communication to either Tuineje Town Council or Puertos Canarios.

The fishing boat had been reported as stolen in Morocco, prompting the Guardia Civil to monitor the vessel.

It was eventually intercepted in Canary Islands waters in a joint operation by the Guardia Civil and the Maritime Rescue Service, using the Salvamar Mizar. The operation ended with the people on board disembarking and the boat being moored at Gran Tarajal.

With no official information from the State authorities, Tuineje Town Council had to gather details of the operation with the help of Puertos Canarios, the Guardia Civil and Maritime Rescue Service staff.

David Herrera said he regretted the lack of coordination and communication from the State. “They have issued no official communication about the operation to either Puertos Canarios or the Town Council. They simply left the vessel moored in the port, with no crew on board,” the mayor said.

Herrera warned that the fishing boat should not remain at the commercial quay, as the facility is exposed to storms from the south. “In the past, these have already had serious consequences, as happened with the barges in 2018,” he said.

Herrera said the Town Council was working with Juan Luis López, director of Puertos Canarios in Fuerteventura, to obtain all the official information about the operation and inform the State that Gran Tarajal port has no berth that can guarantee the safety of a vessel of this kind. The boat had been “abandoned, without a crew and with the possible presence of polluting materials such as fuel, batteries or other waste”, Herrera added.

To avoid damage, they have called for the vessel to be towed to the quay at Puerto del Rosario, which is managed by the State. “The State authorities took charge of the entire interception operation and must therefore also take responsibility for the vessel’s custody,” Herrera said.