Cargo ship engines fail near Isle of Lobos

The ‘Canarias Express’ cargo vessel was escorted to Arrecife harbour yesterday after its engines failed and it went adrift near the Isle of Lobos in the Bocaina Strait.

The rescue launch Polimnia was first on the scene after the Canarias Express lost control and successfully managed to steer the container-laden ship away from Lobos, where it risked running aground.

Later, the tugboat Achamán arrived on the scene and began to tow the much larger vessel to Arrecife, although the difficulty of the manoeuvre and the top speed of 3.5 kph meant that this took most of the day. 

Captain Ignacio Gallego stated that “the situation was completely under control, with no incidents.”