The Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (Miteco) and the Ministry of Transportation and Sustainable Mobility have carried out, this Wednesday in Las Palmas, The national exercise to fight marine pollution (Pox-pollution exercise) to improve Coordination and effectiveness against real emergencies due to vessel pollution in the sea.
In this way, the General Directorate of the Coast and the Sea and the General Directorate of the Marina Merchant they live efforts and add synergies with other institutions and entities. More than 200 troops have participated in this joint simulation.
It should be noted that It is a periodic exercise whose objective is to improve coordination and efficacy in the response, both operational and in the management of the crisis, given possible episodes of marine pollution. It also has as its task that the security standards are maintained and verify the degree of training of the personnel involved in the event and the level of cohesion and communication between the administrations that participate in the emergency.
The Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, José Antonio Santano, stressed, in the act of presenting the exercise, the close collaboration between the different administrations in initiatives of this type.
In addition, he pointed out that “these exercises are necessary for the training and training of groups that face real pollution emergencies marina and on the coasts ”. It has also valued “Human and technical public resources mobilized to stop the emergency as soon as possible when the possible consequences that can be derived from alerts of this type are produced and mitigated. ”
In her speech, the general director of the coast and the sea of the Miteco, Ana Oñoro, said that “All administrations have to be prepared and well coordinated To give the best possible response to citizens to real emergencies, and drills like the one that takes place these days in Las Palmas are the best way to achieve it. ”
For his part, the general director of the Marina Merchant, Gustavo Santana, has indicated that “we have been working on this exercise for months, but all dedication is little when it comes to improving the techniques and strengthening the synergies that will allow, before a real emergency, to be more diligent and effective, because Experience shows us that coordination is one of the emergency pillarsoccur where it occurs. ”
Likewise, the director of Maritime Rescue, José Luis García Lena, has recognized the “crucial work of all units participating in the year, belonging to maritime rescue, civil protection, port authority, armed, civil guard, Red Cross, customs surveillance and other organizations, To successfully display containment barriers, perform the mechanical dispersion of the discharge, evacuate an injured and clean the beach affected ”.
For García Lena, “La inter -institutional collaboration is essential to give a quick and efficient response Behatever maritime emergencies, pollution marina, minimize the environmental impact and guarantee the safety of the people involved. ”
The pox is established both in the National Maritime Plan and in the State Plan for Protection of the Sea Riberabut this time efforts have been brought together so that the maritime and coastal scenario are simultaneous – as would happen to a real emergency – and the management of the crisis has been carried out jointly with all those involved.
Simulated Ships of Ships
The drill of intervention that has been developed today contemplates an approach between the oil ship ‘Frontier’ and a merchant to several miles from the coast, in front of Las Palmas. The oil tanker is affected in such a way that it begins to pour a product of a loaded tank of 600 tons of fuel.
In total, the ship transports 20,000 tons and has another 1,000 for its own supply. Due to the approach, the ‘Frontier’ runs out of machine. In addition, a crew member is injured and needs to be evacuated. The Fuel stain arrives at the beaches of the municipalities of Las Palmas and Telde.
During exercise It has been possible to contemplate the rescue of a wounded by air media of maritime rescue and the operations of collection and mechanical dispersion of the discharge by the ship ‘Heroines of Sálvora’ and La Salvamar ‘Nunki’ of this same entity. These tasks also participated boats of the Port Authority services of Las Palmas. In addition, they have intervened in support and assistance work of the Navy, Civil Guard and Red Cross.
This simulated maritime emergency requires the activation of the National Maritime Plan for the Fight Against Pollution Marina In situation 2 (high level of gravity), of the Platca (Territorial Plan for the Emergency of Civil Protection of the Government of the Canary Islands) and the Ribera Plan in alert phase, among others.