National Marine Pollution Control Exercise (POLEX 2025) The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility and the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) conducted the National Marine Pollution Control Exercise (POLEX-Pollution Exercise) this Wednesday in Las Palmas. The exercise aimed to improve coordination and effectiveness in responding to real-life ship pollution emergencies at sea. The Directorate General of the Merchant Marine and the Directorate General of the Coast and the Sea joined forces and combined their efforts with other institutions and entities. More than 200 personnel participated in this joint drill. This is a regular exercise aimed at improving coordination and effectiveness in the response, both operational and in crisis management, to potential marine pollution incidents. It also serves to verify that safety standards are maintained and to assess the level of training of the personnel involved, as well as the cohesion and communication among the various agencies participating in the emergency.The simulated intervention involved a collision between the oil tanker 'Frontier' and a merchant ship several miles off the coast of Las Palmas. The tanker was so severely damaged that it began leaking fuel from a tank carrying 600 tons. The vessel was carrying a total of 20,000 tons and had an additional 1,000 tons for its own use. As a result of the collision, the 'Frontier' lost its engine. Furthermore, a crew member was injured and required evacuation. The oil slick reached the beaches of the municipalities of Las Palmas and Teide. During the exercise, the rescue of an injured person by Maritime Rescue aircraft was observed, along with the collection and mechanical dispersion of the spill by the vessel 'Heroínas de Salvamento' and the Salvamar 'Nunki' from the same agency. Vessels from the Port Authority of Las Palmas also participated in these operations. In addition, vessels from the Navy, Civil Guard, and Red Cross provided support and assistance. This simulated maritime emergency requires the activation of the National Maritime Plan for Combating Marine Pollution at level 2 (high severity), and of PLATECA (the Government's Territorial Emergency Plan for Civil Protection).
POLEX (Pollution Exercise)