The port of Las Palmas has incorporated a new 600-meter-long ocean barrier, supplied by Sorbcontrol S.L. equipped with all its accessories and means for storage and rapid deployment. This is the eighth and last of the barriers contemplated in the protection project designed by the Port Authority of Las Palmas to respond to a possible serious spill of hydrocarbons or other polluting substances into the sea. “With the incorporation of this last ocean barrier, we are completing a strategic prevention and response plan that places the ports of Las Palmas at the forefront in environmental matters. Our commitment is clear: to be prepared for any contingency, although we hope that we never have to use this equipment outside of drills and training exercises,” acknowledged the president of the Port Authority, Beatriz Calzada.
In these particularly serious situations, the system allows for the complete closure of the docks of both the port of Las Palmas and that of Arinaga, which could be considered ‘sacrifice zones’ in order to contain and minimize environmental damage. The last barrier acquired, destined for the Dársena de África, involved an investment of close to 150,000 euros. Together with the one previously installed in the port of Arinaga, it completes the project of providing 8 ocean barriers that reinforce the response capacity to possible spills.
