Subsea cable off Gran Canaria to be avoided
by Daria Blackwell 11 Oct 2021 00:06 NZDT
Cable awareness chart © Ocean Cruising Club
West Africa cable system segment that comes ashore south of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria must be avoided if anchoring in the vicinity.
In past years you have very kindly distributed information about the WACS subsea telecom cable. With the season for Atlantic crossings approaching we would again appreciate your distributing this information to vessels arriving and departing Grand Canary Island.
This cable system lands in Salinetas Bay, about 9 NM south of the port of Las Palmas where ARC participants depart. It is partially sheltered and sailboats sometimes anchor nearby. This cable carries a substantial part of the communications of the islands and West Africa.
Globally, subsea cables suffer damage on average more than 150 times per year, sometimes by cruising sailboats. It is charted, but experience has shown that charts are sometimes imperfect. If you could distribute this information to sailors and others who may navigate in the area, that would support their safety and the security of international communications. Your acknowledgement of this message and support with this task would be much appreciated.
This article has been provided by the courtesy of Ocean Cruising Club.