A record number of migrants have made the treacherous boat journey from Senegal in West Africa to the Canary Islands this year, according to reports from regional authorities.

Published 12 months ago

Canary Island authorities said this week that 32,000 people had survived the journey in fragile boats this year, which passed the previous record number of migrant arrivals which occurred in 2006.

The Canary Islands have been used for decades by migrants from Africa as a stepping stone to Europe. Many of this year’s boats have come from Senegal in West Africa, but others have also come from Gambia, Mauritania, Morocco and Western Sahara.

Skippers and crew of boats heading to the Canary Islands should be aware of the situation and know how to react if they encounter any migrant boats on their passage. (See Related Links below).

According to an Associated Press tally of figures released by Spain’s Interior Ministry and local emergency services, at least 32,029 people landed on the Canary Islands from 1 January to 5 November, compared with the 2006 small boats crisis when 31,678 people made it to the Canary Islands.

The journey from Senegal to the Canaries usually takes a week of difficult upwind sailing for around 1,600 km.

The Spanish coastguard also reported that 739 people have been rescued in the Atlantic Ocean off El Hierro, the smallest and most westerly island in the archipelago, since Friday November 10.

The number of arrivals has recently jumped as milder weather and calmer seas since September have made it more feasible to attempt the still perilous crossing from Africa.

Spain has nearly 40 police and civil guard officers, four boats, a helicopter and an aircraft deployed in Senegal to monitor the country’s more than 500-kilometre coast and crack down on smuggling networks in collaboration with local authorities.

Madrid says the joint effort has successfully stopped 7,132 people from leaving Senegal this year.

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Related Links:

• RYA Advice – Cruising the World
• Yachting World – What should sailors do if they encounter migrant boats at sea
• ItBoat – Memo to the skipper:  what to do when you meet a boat with refugees at sea

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