Boat intercepted south of Tenerife carrying over 200 migrants
A wooden cayuco carrying 206 migrants was intercepted in waters south of Tenerife yesterday, Monday, according to reports from Maritime Rescue.
The vessel was detected at 11:35am by the Guardia Civil SIVE radar system, approximately 11 kilometres south of the Punta Rasca lighthouse by Palm Mar.
Following detection, the maritime rescue boat Salvamar Alpheratz was deployed to escort the cayuco safely to Los Cristianos port, where it arrived at around 2:30pm.
Upon arrival, the migrants were attended by emergency and humanitarian teams, including personnel from the Canary Islands Emergency Service (SUC) and the Red Cross. According to emergency sources, three people were transferred to hospital for further treatment, though none were reported to be in a serious condition.
Preliminary information indicates that the boat departed from Gambia, made a stopover in Senegal, and reached Tenerife after eight days at sea, a perilous journey across one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes.
The Canary Islands continue to face a steady rise in migrant arrivals, with local authorities calling on the Spanish Government for urgent support and faster relocation of unaccompanied minors to the mainland.
Background: Migration Trends in the Canary Islands
- In 2024, the Canary Islands recorded a historic high of 46,843 irregular arrivals by sea, the largest total since record-keeping began.
- Despite that record year, arrivals in 2025 have fallen significantly. By midyear.
- From 1st January to 15th June 2025, some 11,284 people arrived via maritime routes, compared to 18,984 in the same timeframe in 2024, a fall of approximately 40.6%.
- Analysts attribute part of the decline to tighter controls in Mauritania, a key departure point, as well as enhanced maritime surveillance along the Atlantic route.
- Nevertheless, the Atlantic crossing remains one of the deadliest migration routes in the world, with NGOs estimating that at least 1,865 people died or went missing in migration attempts in the first half of 2025.
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