The Government of the Canary Islands brought the conflict of the MV Hondius this past weekend to a direct clash with the State. Fernando Clavijo threatened to prevent the anchorage of the cruise ship in Tenerife if the central government did not guarantee the departure of all passengers on Sunday. Hours later, the response came from Madrid. The General Directorate of the Merchant Marine formally ordered the entry of the ship into the port of Granadilla.
The resolution was signed by the general director of the Merchant Marine, Ana Núñez Velasco. The document requires the Port Authority to facilitate the reception of the vessel through docking or controlled anchorage, as well as to provide pilotage, towing, and mooring services. The text orders “to impose the reception of the MV Hondius in the port of Granadilla, Tenerife, whether by anchoring or by docking.” The final decision on the operation will depend exclusively on the authorities responsible for the health device.
The decision is based on Article 299 of the Consolidated Text of the Law of State Ports and the Merchant Marine. The legal argument used by the State mixes two elements: maritime risk and the need for health assistance on board. The order nullifies any possibility of blockage from the Canary Islands. It also clarifies the debate that has surfaced in recent days about the real decision-making margin of the Port Authority in an international health crisis. Clavijo had raised the tone just hours before. The Canary Island president asserted that he had given instructions not to authorize the anchoring of the ship while the complete evacuation of the passengers on Sunday was not guaranteed.
The source of the clash was the delays of two flights scheduled to transport passengers out of the Canary Islands. The regional government demanded that the Spanish government utilize empty seats on other aircraft. Among these was a military plane with capacity for 210 passengers, occupied by only 14 individuals. “Where is the protocol that says that on a 210-person plane, thirty cannot go?” Clavijo asked after meeting with representatives from the Ministries of Health, Interior, and Territorial Policy. The regional president defended that the Canary Islands had agreed to collaborate from the beginning in the operation of the Hondius. He also stated that the initial agreement contemplated resolving all disembarkation and transfer within about twelve hours to reduce risks and social tension in Tenerife.
According to the Canary government, the central government later modified that operational scheme by assuming that some passengers would have to remain longer on the island. Clavijo intensified his rhetoric further on Saturday afternoon. “Canarias will not authorize the anchoring of the cruise ship MV Hondius tomorrow. Collaboration, yes. Solidarity, also. But not at any price,” he wrote on social media. The state’s response came just a few hours later through the resolution of the Merchant Marine.
