Maritime Week Las Palmas – the second edition of which takes place from 17 to 19 June at the famous Santa Catalina Hotel in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – will examine Port of Las Palmas’ maritime activities, from bunkering and bulk storage to fuel testing and ship repair; from cargo handling and agency to ship supply and spare part services. 

The Port of Las Palmas is a key strategic mid-Atlantic maritime and logistics hub serving the offshore energy sector as well as ships sailing to and from Africa, Europe and the Americas. Lately it has also been playing a vital role in refuelling vessels diverted around Africa from the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

The event will also examine key international issues such as the energy transition, environmental regulations and game-changing geopolitical events including the diversion of international shipping from the Red Sea and Suez Canal to South and West Africa, an issue which is currently having a big impact on the maritime sector in the Canary Islands.

The week consists of a high-level Flagship Conference, an alternative fuels training course, and a unique tour of the port and its facilities. It will also include a full-blown fuel spill simulation exercise in the anchoring area of the Port of Las Palmas involving local bunker barge operators and oil spill clear-up specialists. The exercise will underline the Port Authority of Las Palmas’s commitment to the environment and sustainability.

The event is heavily supported by the leaders of the Canary Islands Government, the Port of Las Palmas and the local shipping and maritime sector. The Flagship Conference will be opened by German Suárez, President of the Canary Islands Maritime Cluster and shipyard ASTICAN, Beatriz Calzada, President of the Port of Las Palmas, Antonio Morales Méndez, President of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria and Fernando Clavijo, President of the Canary Islands.

The opening keynote speech will be given by International Maritime Organization Ambassador Nancy Karigithu, Special Envoy and Advisor on the Blue Economy at the Executive Office of the President of Kenya who will focus on developments in Africa and beyond.

Sessions in the packed conference programme will cover all the maritime activities that take place in Las Palmas, including a focus on bunkering. Decarbonisation and digitalisation will also be examined in depth, while a special Women in Maritime session will bring together a selection of women working at various levels and in different sectors of the maritime industry, in Las Palmas and beyond, to share their views on key issues that impact their daily work experience.

The Port of Las Palmas and FEDEPORT – the Canary Islands Federation of Port Enterprises – are collaborating to deliver the oil spill exercise, a reception in the heart of the port, and a guided tour of the facilities at the Port of Las Palmas, including bunker barges, oil storage and delivery facilities, container and cruise terminals, offshore drill ships, tugs and other workboats, and the island’s key shipyards.

The oil spill exercise will be a realistic scenario in which all anti-pollution plans provided for in international regulation will be activated. The exercise will be an opportunity to update and improve communication processes between the public and private agents involved and to demonstrate the professionalism and capacity of the Port of Las Palmas in the event of marine pollution due to discharge.

According to the Port of Las Palmas, the incidence rate in fuel supply operations in the port is well below 0.01% thanks to the professionalism of the bunkering companies, who will unite for the first time to conduct the drill. Despite some 12,000 bunkering operations being conducted annually, very few accidents occur, and when they do, the speed and effectiveness of the entities involved minimise the impact.

Beatriz Calzada, the President of the Port of Las Palmas, said: “We have a robust and consolidated port, we are leaders in bunkering and naval repair, strong in transportation and logistics and we are firmly committed to the offshore wind sector and sustainability. Characteristics that we strive to show and improve, that have made us a benchmark in the Mid-Atlantic and that today allow us to host this international summit of the maritime sector.”

Llewellyn Bankes-Hughes, Founder and CEO of Petrospot, creator and organiser of the biennial event, said: “The Port of Las Palmas is a key strategic mid-Atlantic maritime and logistics hub but while everyone in the shipping and bunkering sectors know about the role Las Palmas plays in refuelling ships, the same still cannot be said for many of the other outstanding maritime services available in Las Palmas which remain relatively unknown. Maritime Week Las Palmas is designed to highlight the port’s maritime activities and to bring international companies to the event so that they can see and hear for themselves what Las Palmas has to offer.

Note: More information on Maritime Week Las Palmas can be found here.

Photo credit: Petrospot
Published: 3 May 2024