Fishing Boat Sinks in Puerto Naos harbour
A fishing boat has sunk in Puerto Naos harbour in Arrecife, Lanzarote, prompting a temporary response over concerns about possible marine pollution. The incident happened on Tuesday 29 September 2026, and the latest information on Wednesday morning is more reassuring than the initial reports suggested.
What happened in Arrecife?
The vessel involved is the Monte Arballu, an older fishing boat that was moored in the Puerto Naos area of the Port of Arrecife. According to local emergency services and reports from EFE and RTVC, the boat had a pre-existing water ingress and attempts were made to refloat it after the situation worsened. Salvamento Marítimo was unable to prevent the vessel from sinking. No one was on board at the time and there were no reported injuries.
The Monte Arballu was built in 1965 and is one of the remaining vessels in Lanzarote’s traditional purse-seine fishing fleet.
Why was there concern about diesel in the water?
The vessel had approximately 10,000 litres of diesel in its tanks. After the sinking, a surface mark measuring roughly 30 metres by 15 metres was observed in the harbour, leading authorities to activate pollution-response measures as a precaution.
The Government of the Canary Islands initially placed the area under PLATECA pre-alert from 14:00 on 29 September. The Port Authority activated its Internal Maritime Plan, two containment barriers were deployed, and Maritime Captaincy activated the National Maritime Plan in alert phase. The official government notice stated that the visible fuel-related material was contained within the barriers.
The important update for tourists and residents
The situation has since become considerably more reassuring. In an update published on 30 September, Cadena SER Lanzarote reported that Enrique Espinosa, manager of the island’s Security and Emergencies Consortium, said there had not been a marine pollution incident caused by diesel escaping into the surrounding sea. According to his explanation, material coming from the boat was being contained by the barrier and would eventually evaporate.
He also explained that the surface mark seen in the water was associated with the boat’s bilge — oil and accumulated residue beneath the vessel — rather than a large diesel spill spreading through the harbour. Floating containment equipment was used to keep this material contained.
What happens to the fishing boat now?
The Monte Arballu remains on the seabed in the harbour. A crane was brought to the area, but the vessel was not expected to be refloated on Wednesday. The Port Authority has asked the owner to provide a detailed plan for recovering the boat and has given the owner a number of days to carry out the work. If that does not happen, the Port Authority has indicated that it can intervene and subsequently seek to recover the costs.
The incident is a reminder of the importance of rapid containment when a vessel carrying fuel gets into difficulty. For visitors, the latest information is reassuring: the incident is confined to the harbour area and the initial concern about a wider diesel pollution event has not materialised according to the latest local emergency update.
