Abel Losada highlights the great work of the Maritime Ministry of Vigo to meet the heavy workload of its inspection activity

The subdelegate of the Government in Pontevedra, Abel Losada, today highlighted the intense work carried out by the Maritime Captaincy of Vigo. He did so during a visit to his premises in which he was accompanied by the maritime captain of Vigo, Manuel García, and by the general secretary of the Subdelegation, María Isabel Alonso. The subdelegate learned the details of the functions and tasks carried out by this service, which orders and monitors the traffic of ships and ensures maritime safety in the Rías de Vigo and Pontevedra, in which more than 8,000 ships enter the two state ports annually.
The deputy delegate highlighted the intense workload of the Captaincy, which in the year 2023 processed a total of 4,313 ship registration files in the scope of its demarcation, which in addition to Vigo, covers Marín, Cangas and Baiona (15% more than the previous year). In 2023 alone, 40 newly built ships and the transfer of ownership of another 940 were registered. In addition, 234 changed their name and 272 requested the corresponding navigation permissions. Manuel García explained that 50% of the civil ships that are built in Spain leave the Olivian and Marine shipyards, which explains part of this volume of activity.
The inspection activity was also significantly increased since, as explained by the subdelegate, the purchase of Barriers by Armón increased the number of ships flying the Spanish flag in the province. “If until last year, one or two vessels of more than 500 tons (GTs) were being built, currently three large vessels are being built in Vigo alone: the #Odón de Buen, an oceanographic vessel of 70 meters in length, a trawler of 68 meters in length for the company Copemar and Armón 148, a multipurpose vessel for the Civil Guard of 80 meters in length. And in addition, two other ships - the Villa de Marín and the Eirado del Costal - are being expanded, a circumstance that generates the same workload as a new ship, since it requires the same procedures and certificates,” he clarified. This list should be added to the Cap de Barbaria, a ship with capacity for ro-ro cargo and transport of dangerous goods, capable of housing a crew of almost 400 people, which was delivered last year.
Manuel García explained that the collapse of the floating dam of the Montevideo varadoiro in December 2022 also caused five freezer trawlers of great height and technical complexity to “return” to the port of Vigo for dry surveys. “Some recognitions that were assumed by this inspection service,” he reported.
In total, 723 vessels were inspected from Captaincy and 1,975 navigability certificates were issued. Fifty-four inspections were carried out on foreign ships that arrived in Vigo and Marín for the issuance of the “Memorandum of Understanding” (MOU) and in addition 10 inspections were carried out on the “White List”, that is, preventive actions on Spanish ships that left to foreign port where they were to be subject to the MOU review.
In relation to the sanctioning activity of this service, in the year 2023 185 sanctioning files derived from the 355 complaints received in the year 2022 were processed. Of all the files processed, 31% were for minor offences, one case was filed with the National High Court and eight were filed because of the death of the persons concerned or because it was proved that there was no offence. The amount of the sanction proposals filed in the year 2023 exceeded 1.2 million euros.
From this Maritime Captaincy, 5,111 files relating to nautical qualifications were also dispatched in 2023. Abel Losada highlighted that in this office 472 titles and 792 professional cards were issued or renewed, 2,356 certificates of sufficiency and maritime training, 307 navigation notebooks and 749 marine identity documents (DIM), among others. In addition, 377 cards were issued for recreational nautical skippers.
The Government’s deputy delegate also learned about the important work they do in ship clearance, “the administrative procedure by which it is verified that ships and boats, including recreational boats, buy with all the legal requirements to navigate.” In this regard, he reported that last year the Maritime Captaincy of Vigo ordered the temporary paralysis of 109 vessels and the definitive paralysis of 2. In addition, it processed 9,880 files on the registration and de-registration of crews of the boats that arrived or departed from the ports of Vigo and Marín.
Abel Losada visited the facilities, located in the building of the Maritime Station, and also shared concerns with the staff of the Maritime Captaincy of Vigo, where 31 people work.