El Puerto

The Port of Marín is a port of call for the Ría de Vigo offshore tug, an emblematic rescue vessel with a long history of maritime emergencies. Given its unique nature, a group of workers from the Port Authority of Marín and Ría de Pontevedra took a guided tour of the vessel this morning. During the visit, led by the Ría de Vigo's crew, the staff learned about the history and characteristics of the ship. It should be noted that the Ría de Vigo plays a fundamental role in rescue and towing operations in Galicia and the Atlantic, making this vessel an indispensable asset for maritime safety along the coast, and also in the fight against pollution. Thus, it is a multipurpose salvage and pollution control vessel that operates with the Galician Regional Government (Xunta de Galicia) through the Coast Guard Service and also with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). Furthermore, the tug's functions include responding to accidents and assisting other vessels. In this regard, it is worth recalling this salvage vessel's participation in the Prestige oil spill tragedy, becoming the first vessel to reach the wreck and attempt to tow it, although despite considerable effort it was unsuccessful. As for its technical characteristics, it is a steel ocean-going tug with an overall length of 68 meters, a maximum draft of 5.88 meters, and a gross tonnage of 1,535 GT. It was built in 1985 by Astilleros de Huelva S.A. in Andalusia.