The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has formally awarded a four-year contract to marine services provider Peninsula to integrate the tanker Panama 100 into the oil-spill response network in the Canary Islands. The move restores specialized technical coverage along the Mid-Atlantic route, which had been without a commercial vessel assigned to the European agency since the contract for the Mencey, operated by Petrogás (DISA), expired in April 2024.
The 93-meter-long vessel, flagged in Malta and built in 2010, will continue its regular commercial activity transporting petroleum products and supplying fuel in the waters around the archipelago. However, the EMSA clause requires the company to suspend commercial operations and ensure that the vessel is ready to sail within a maximum of 24 hours after the European emergency protocol is activated.
Matías Martin, Peninsula’s deputy head of safety, said this was a significant achievement for Peninsula and the result of extensive preparation across the company. “We have ensured that both the PANAMA 100 and its crew are properly equipped and trained for the responsibility that this role entails. Supporting EMSA’s response network is an important recognition of our operational capabilities, but above all, it gives us the opportunity to use our experience to help protect the marine environment in the areas where we operate. It has been a true team effort, and I would like to thank the crew and all our colleagues who have contributed to making this project a reality.”
Specialized technical equipment and response logistics in Las Palmas
The operational integration of the Panama 100 required more than a year of technical preparation, structural modifications to the vessel and specialized crew training in containment operations. The vessel has a storage capacity of 7,009 cubic meters for collecting oil, complemented by 500 meters of offshore floating booms, surface oil-recovery skimmers and remote systems for detecting pollutant slicks.
The logistical deployment is supported by a shore-based facility at the Port of Las Palmas, where heavy emergency equipment and a 200-tonne supply of chemical dispersant are kept. This infrastructure enables EMSA resources to be mobilized to support the assets of the Ministry of Transport and the Port Authority in the event of major emergencies exceeding local response capacity in Canary Island and Madeira waters.
Operational capacity amid rising global maritime traffic
Peninsula’s designation consolidates the island hub’s position as a strategic maritime safety node at the intersection of routes linking Europe, Africa and the Americas. The contractual requirements oblige the shipping company to subject the Panama 100’s crew to methodical exercises and regular drills alongside EMSA inspectors throughout the agreement’s four-year term. The move strengthens the region’s environmental resilience in the face of increased shipping density and anchorage-based fuel supply, ensuring a rapid-response capability backed by European authorities.
The article EMSA: Peninsula takes over Canary Islands oil-spill response from DISA with Panama 100 was first published on canarymaritime.com.
