PORT GUIDE · FOR OFFICERS, MASTERS AND SHORE TEAMS
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Pilot
updated May 2010Pilotage is compulsory for merchant vessels of 500GT and over, whether they anchor in the roads or proceed into the harbour. Pilot boards in position 28°27.68'N 016°12.85'W, 1-2nm from the head of Dique Muelle del Sur, in bad weather, in lee of Muelle Sur head.
The pilot boat is black with orange upperworks and displays a blue flag with the letter "P" in white on each bow. At night the normal lights for pilot vessels are exhibited and by day the international code flag "H" is displayed. The pilot office situated near the root of Muelle Norte is equipped with VHF radio.
Key data
updated Oct 2024Size limits
Harbour: LOA 347.06m, beam 83.333m, draught 13.5m, 241,064DWT.
Water density
1025.
Load line zone
Tropical.
Tides
Range 2.4m.
Max draft per terminal
| Terminal | Max draught | Max LOA | Berths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darsena Del Este | — | 282 m | 5 |
| Tenerife Container Terminal | — | 333 m | 1 |
| CEPSA Refinery | 14.50 m | 300 m | 3 |
| Boluda Maritime Terminals Tenerife | 9.80 m | 250 m | 1 |
| Darsena de Anaga | 8.70 m | 347 m | 9 |
| Darsena de Los Llanos | 7.10 m | 127 m | 9 |
| Fishing Dock | — | — | 3 |
| Terminales Canarios | — | 188 m | 1 |
Deepest first. The draught is the largest any of the terminal's berths states; a dash means the source gives none.
Approach
updated Jun 2017Approach
The port may be approached from ENE through E to S and each basin is entered between the heads of its breakwaters.
The entrances to the harbours have the following widths and depths:
Darsena Los Llanos - 150m wide and 12.0m depth.
Darsena de Anaga - 300m wide and 12.0m depth.
Darsena Este - 400m wide and 25.0m depth.
Port limits
The port limits extend from Punta Caballo to Punta de Los Organos.
Anchorages
An anchorage is located S and SE of the head of Dique Muelle del Sur, in depths of approx 70m. Waiting tankers and other merchant ships are normally anchored between 0.5nm and 1nm E and ENE of Dique Muelle del Este, 0.3-0.6nm offshore, in depths between 55-75m. The holding ground is reported to be good.
There is a CBM for use by tankers with a maximum of 240,000DWT and 45m draught, is available for loading and discharging using floating pipelines from Puerto Cabeallo.
An ODAS buoy is moored aprox 0.1nm SSW of No 6 Mooring Buoy. Anchoring and trawling are prohibited in an area S of Puerto de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, due to submarine cables, which come ashore in vicinity of Castillo de San Juan, 0.95nm SSW of the root of Dique Muelle de Sur.
Restrictions
Max 240,000DWT at CBM floating pipeline terminal, Honduras Buoy zone.
CEPSA: vessel movements are permitted throughout 24 hours at the larger berths, mainly daylight berthing and unberthing anytime.
Anchoring is prohibited in certain areas due to the presence of submarine cables. In particular, in the vicinity of Castillo de San Juan (28°27.33'N 16°15.15').
Tugs
Available.
Mooring
Mooring service is available.
CEPSA-CBM: 13 synthetic ropes required for buoy moorings.
Charts and publications
BA 1847, 1858, 1861. Admiralty Pilot NP1, NP286(1).
Reporting before arrival
updated Aug 2010ETA and pre-arrival notices
Vessel's ETA should be sent 48 and 24 hours prior to arrival through the agent who can be contacted throughout 24 hours through Tenerife Radio, by link call, using VHF Ch 16.
Vessels should contact port control on arrival when 3nm from the port.
Health
Pratique must be obtained before communicating with the shore. Vessels with foul Bills of Health or infectious diseases onboard are placed in quarantine, they can obtain bunkers under certain restrictions.
Flags
Spanish and national flag are required.
Inspections
Port State Control here: Paris MOU.
Running now: the Paris and Tokyo MOU concentrated inspection campaign on cargo securing, 1 September to 30 November 2026. Its questions are published: the questionnaire.
ISPS
ISPS Designated Authority: Puertos del Estado (Ministerio de Fomento)
Title: Coordinador de Proteccion Portuaria
Address: Av de la Marina, 3, 15001, A Coruna, Spain
Tel: +34 98 121 9618
Fax: +34 98 121 9607
Mob: +34 630 957875
For further ISPS information see IMO website http://www.imo.org
Port services
updated Oct 2024Repairs
Repair facilities are available.
Bunkers, water and stores
Fresh water: Available at all berths.
Bunkering: All grades available at berths or anchorage, MGO, VLSFO, HSFO, IFOâs VLSFO, GOâs and LNG.
Stores: Available.
Medical
Park Hospital in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1km and Hospital Universitario de Canarias in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 6.3km.
Crew change
Crew change is possible.
Transport
Nearest airport: Tenerife Norte Airport in San Cristobal de La Laguna, 13.7km.
Working hours
Mon to Fri, three shifts 0800-0200hrs; Sat 0800-2000hrs and Sun 0800-1400hrs.
About Santa Cruz de Tenerife
updated Oct 2024Where it is
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is situated on the E coast of Tenerife Island in the Canary Islands group.
The port
The port consists of four basins, from NE to SW; they are Darsena Este, Darsena de Anaga, Darsena de Los Llanos and Darsena Pesquera (the Fish Dock). A primary source of income is the tourist industry with much of the port area being used by inter-island ferries and visiting cruise liners.
The principal exports are asphalt, refined oils and agricultural products.
The principal imports are building materials, sugar, grain, cement, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products and crude oil.
Traffic
Approximate 14,000,000t of cargo, 500,000TEU, 11,000 vessels and 6,700,000 passengers are handled annually.
Questions about Santa Cruz de Tenerife
What are the pilot arrangements at Santa Cruz de Tenerife?
Pilotage is compulsory for merchant vessels of 500GT and over, whether they anchor in the roads or proceed into the harbour.
What time zone is Santa Cruz de Tenerife in?
Local time at Santa Cruz de Tenerife is UTC+0. Clocks go to UTC+1 on 28 Mar 2027. Back to UTC+0 on 31 Oct 2027.
What is the maximum draft at Santa Cruz de Tenerife?
The deepest berth listed is at CEPSA Refinery: 14.50 m maximum draught. The "Max draft per terminal" table gives each terminal's figure.
What is the water density at Santa Cruz de Tenerife?
1025.
Which load line zone is Santa Cruz de Tenerife in?
Tropical.
Who carries out Port State Control at Santa Cruz de Tenerife?
Port State Control at Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Paris MOU.
What is the UN/LOCODE of Santa Cruz de Tenerife?
The UN/LOCODE of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is ESSCT.
Tips from seafarers
What crews who called at Santa Cruz de Tenerife say: pilot boarding, the agent's papers, inspections, shore leave. Each tip is shown with the writer's rank and ship type, and an AI summary sits on top once there are three or more.
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A planning aid, not for navigation. These facts come from public sources and each section shows how old it is. Check with the port, your agent, your ENCs and official publications. Spotted something wrong? Tell us on the feedback board.