Gran Canaria holidays: Four beaches in Canary Island forced to close after huge oil spill

The oil spill originated from the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on Wednesday (4 September) and reached the Telde coastline on Thursday (5 September). It forced the closure of four beaches in Gran Canaria.

La Restinga, El Barranquillo, Palos, and San Borondón have been closed to the public all weekend and the Canary Islands’ Emergency and Rescue Group (GES) will continue to monitor the spill. La Restinga is the most affected area. 

A state of emergency was first declared on Thursday after three tons of diesel from the Virgen del Pino dock at the Port of La Luz in Las Palmas resulted in a large oil slick that reached the shore of the capital. By the time the emergency protocol was activated at 1pm, the slick had already reached Bocabarranca beach and was moving southeast, threatening coastal ecosystems. 

In response to the incident, the Environmental Minister for Gran Canaria, Raúl García Brink, took part in a crisis coordination meeting with CECOES alongside officials from Las Palmas, Telde, and other affected municipalities. Brink emphasised the Cabildo's commitment to providing the necessary resources to tackle the spill. “We are fully prepared to collaborate and mobilise all available means to resolve this situation as quickly as possible,” he stated.

The mayor of Telde, Juan Antonio Peña, confirmed that 70 people were working to clean up and restore the coastline. He expressed his gratitude to all those involved in the operation and said he hopes the beaches will be back open to the public soon.