The public defense of the Canary Island port sector against the PP, CC, and the information from experts who have questioned the origin of the fuels supplied in the ports of the Archipelago for months relies on a reiterated message: strict compliance with the European Union’s sanctioning regime, exhaustive documentary controls and absence of irregularities. However, technical sources from the maritime and energy sector itself admit privately that the real debate is no longer on formal legality but on the real traceability of the product’s origin.
‘Today almost no one can guarantee the absolute physical origin of a complex marine fuel, only its documentary origin,’ acknowledges an executive with experience in bunkering operations at the port of Las Palmas who requests anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. ‘This does not mean that the law is being violated, but it does mean that the system has evident limitations.’ This is not an exclusive problem for the Canary Islands, although it is more noticeable here due to its position.
Since the Ukraine War in 2022
The international trade in marine fuels relies on fragmented logistics chains, where products like very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) are formulated from components from different refineries and origins. In energy hubs such as Tangier Med, Rotterdam, or Fujairah, batch mixing is a common practice to adjust technical specifications and availability. The result is a commercially compliant product, but its complete material reconstruction proves complex, even for operators.
According to industry sources, the documentation accompanying the fuel—certificates of origin, supplier declarations, supply contracts—meets the requirements outlined by European regulations. ‘The problem is that the paper certifies what the seller declares, not necessarily the historic journey of the crude,’ points out a consultant in energy compliance who regularly works with ports in southern Europe.
Fedeport leaves open gaps
The distinction defended by Fedeport between petroleum products for land consumption and marine fuels is technically correct but does not neutralize the sanctioning debate. European sanctions focus on the origin of crude oil and its derivatives, regardless of their final use. Hence, attention has shifted to the logistical nodes where the product changes form, ownership, or composition.
An operator with regular activity in Las Palmas indicates that the risk lies not so much in local operations but in the previous chain. ‘The Canary Islands do not refine or produce. The reputational risk comes from outside,’ he explains. ‘If the European system decides to tighten the definition of origin, many hubs will find themselves in a gray area, not just the Canary Islands.’
The Russian shortcuts
Sources from the insurance sector confirm that this concern is already being reflected in the policies. P&I clubs and hull insurers are incorporating stricter clauses related to sanctions, requesting additional information about the origin of the fuel supplied to vessels operating on sensitive routes. ‘We do not wait for an infraction to occur; we manage risk,’ summarizes a source from the insurance sector.
The absence of formal warnings from the authorities, highlighted by the port authority, is interpreted by operators as a snapshot of the present, not as a guarantee for the future. ‘Investigations regarding sanctions tend to arrive late,’ notes a legal source specialized in maritime law. ‘By the time they arrive, the reputational damage has already been done.’
For the Canary Island ports, the issue is strategic. Their strength as a bunkering hub in the Atlantic is based on reliability, price, and legal security. But in an environment of prolonged war and dynamic sanctions, confidence is no longer built solely on regulatory compliance, but on transparency that can withstand international political and financial scrutiny. As summarized by a technical source in the sector: ‘Today, it is not enough to say ‘I comply with the law’. You have to be able to demonstrate that the system does not facilitate shortcuts, even if they are legal.’
News written by Pedro Marrero. Edited and verified by José Luis Jiménez. Cross-referenced information without institutional filters. This analysis has not been funded by official advertising or influenced by lobby interests.
