Salvamento Marítimo has reinforced its rescue capacity in Lanzarote, the island that has received the most precarious boats for months, after El Hierro, with a third boat, the Salvamar Diphda, which joins the Salvamar Al Nair and the Guardamar Calíope, whose base is also in the port of Arrecife.
The general director of the Merchant Marine, Gustavo Santana, pointed out this Monday that the Salvamar Diphda is an itinerant vessel "that arrives to reinforce the coverage of the island and the area, especially for the attention to the migratory events that are happening".
This new salvamar, which has been operating for some weeks in Lanzarote, has two crews of four people each assigned to it.
With its incorporation, two salvamares and a high-capacity rescue boat, the guardamar, are positioned in Arrecife.
"The devices that Salvamento Marítimo has positioned in the Canary Islands can represent around 20% of the state total," Santana highlighted, who pointed out that there are two tugboats, four guardamares (of the five available in its fleet) and 12 salvamares in the islands.
"This represents a demonstration by the General State Administration of taking into account the situation that is occurring in the Canary Islands with the migratory phenomenon in order to be able to carry out the service in the best conditions for both immigrants and the crew," added the general director.
Gustavo Santana pointed out that this incorporation has nothing to do with the union claim, made last week, to reduce the workload, but that the vessel is positioned by emergency ratio".
He also highlighted that in all the salvamares "positioned in places with demand" a fourth crew member is incorporated, which is a requirement that has been taken into account.
For his part, Pedro Viera, island director of the General State Administration in Lanzarote, said that this reinforcement is "another example of Spain's commitment to the phenomenon of immigration" and represents "a clear message that the Government is not going to abandon the Canary Islands to their fate" with the phenomenon of pateras.
The mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León (PP), valued "all the means that are put in place to save lives" and warned that the migratory rebound has greatly reduced the available personnel of the State security forces.
For this reason, he has asked for more investment "to build immigrant reception centers and not have to collapse the Canary Islands so many times".
"The only thing I ask of the Government of Spain is that there be greater monitoring, greater investment and that together we try to find solutions to the problem we have with respect to immigration," said the mayor of the capital of Lanzarote.
