Puertos Canarios has conveyed, with the aim of "clarity and institutional respect" to the Yaiza City Council and all involved administrations, a series of clarifications on cruise operations at the port of Playa Blanca.
The first clarification is of a jurisdictional nature. Puertos Canarios has favorably processed, within the scope of its port responsibilities, the necessary authorizations for cruise calls to take place in Playa Blanca, always conditioned on compliance with the technical, operational, and safety requirements that are enforceable in each case.
That port authorization does not equate, however, to the automatic confirmation of a call. The final decision on a vessel's docking corresponds to the shipping company, within its own scheduling, and also depends on the agreements it reaches with operators, tourism agents, and destination authorities to adequately serve cruise passengers during their stay.
At this point, it is important to clearly distinguish between the availability of port infrastructure and the provision of land-based services. Puertos Canarios manages the port space and its conditions of use, but it does not replace municipalities, island councils, tourism promotion companies, or private operators in organizing services such as reception, transportation, excursions, visitor assistance, or other services associated with the passenger experience.
Therefore, the collaboration of the Yaiza City Council and other local agents is essential to consolidate Playa Blanca as an attractive, orderly, and fully integrated port of call within the municipality. Attracting and retaining calls depends not only on the port, but also on the destination's capacity to offer services, coordination, and a value proposition to the companies and their passengers.
Regarding border control, Puertos Canarios recalls that this is neither an autonomous port service nor a responsibility of the public entity. When a cruise ship comes from a non-Schengen port, as indicated would be the case with the call scheduled for November 9th, arriving from Morocco, the entry authorization and the implementation of border controls correspond to the General State Administration, through the Government Delegation in the Canary Islands and the competent state bodies and services.
Canary Ports collaborates and will collaborate, as always, with the competent administrations, facilitating the technical information and coordination that may be necessary within its scope of action. However, the decision on the enablement or authorization of border controls on a call from a third country cannot be attributed to the regional public port entity.
Likewise, Canary Ports has not issued any instructions aimed at preventing Playa Blanca from receiving cruise ships or at moving that activity to another port. If a shipping company were to modify a call or condition its operation, that decision must be analyzed according to its own commercial criteria, the services available at the destination, and, where appropriate, the state authorizations that may be necessary due to the origin of the vessel.
In relation to European funding linked to the expansion of the port of Playa Blanca, Canary Ports reiterates that the infrastructure is executed and managed in accordance with the public purposes that justify it: to improve connectivity, reinforce port operations, and promote an orderly and sustainable use of the facility. The existence of procedures outside the port's competence, or commercial decisions specific to a shipping company, does not in itself alter the fulfillment of these objectives.
The public entity will respond through official channels to the request for information made by the Yaiza City Council and maintains its willingness to address these issues in the appropriate coordination spaces, including the Canary Ports Advisory Council if deemed appropriate. The objective must be common: to offer rigorous information, avoid confusion, and work in a coordinated manner so that Playa Blanca can take advantage of its port and tourism opportunities with legal certainty, quality of service, and institutional respect.
Canary Ports is a public business entity attached to the Ministry of Public Works, Housing and Mobility of the Government of the Canary Islands; which operates under the name AUTONOMOUS CANARY PORTS.
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