Yachts arriving in Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands either in preparation for an Atlantic Crossing or just to cruise the islands, are being asked to take extra care when anchoring in or around Salinetas Bay due to the presence of the West Africa Cable System (WACS) Submarine Cable.

Published 3 years ago

Stephen Drew from Sea Risk Solutions LLC which provides cable awareness services for the WACS, asked Noonsite to remind cruisers that the West Africa Submarine Cable lands in Gran Canaria at Salinetas Bay on the island’s west coast, about 9NM south of the port of Las Palmas.

The West Africa Cable System (WACS) Segment 3g was installed on the seabed off Grand Canary in 2011 and carries telephone, internet, fax and other data to 14 countries and the international communications network.

“Globally, subsea cables suffer damage on average more than 150 times per year, sometimes by cruising sailboats,” Stephen told Noonsite.  “While this segment has suffered no damage, in other areas cables have been damaged by many causes including the anchors of sailboats.”

“The cable landing in Salinetas Bay is charted, but experience has shown that charts are sometimes imperfect, so we would ask that anyone navigating in this area exercises extra care and caution for their safety as well as for the security of international communications.”

A Chart of the cable route and the Associated Notices to Mariners can be Downloaded Here.

For more information contact:

Cable Maintenance Authority

Vodafone of Spain, S.A.U. – Attn: Carlos Carrillo Llorente

Email: carlos.carrillo@vodafone.com or Operacion_Mantenimiento_WA@corp.vodafone.es

Tel: + 34 662865078

Cable Protection and Awareness

Sea Risk Solutions LLC

Stephen Drew

Email:  sdrew@searisksolutions.com

Tel +1 908 339 7439

Fax +1 908 462 8200

Member, International Cable Protection Committee

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Related Links:

Canaries, Gran Canaria: WACS Submarine Cable an Anchoring Hazard  – Noonsite (November 2019)

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