Fenadismer, the employers’ association of SMEs of road transporters, expressed its «deep concern» on Wednesday about the «serious migratory crisis» that it is experiencing Ceuta in recent weeks and demanded to reinforce security in the port of the autonomous city to protect workers in the sector.
In a statement, this federation warned that the accumulation of thousands of people in transit in the city for so long critically raises the risk that the port area will become the main target of those desperately seeking to cross clandestinely into the peninsula.
The employers’ association stressed that, historically, trucks and semi-trailers used by regular ferry lines have been the target of intrusion attempts using the «stowaway» method, as happened on the occasion of the last migratory crisis that occurred in the city of Ceuta in May 2021.
CARRIERS WARN OF THE RISK OF INTRUSIONS IN TRUCKS
Given the current situation of «maximum pressure» in the streets and perimeters of the city, Fenadismer considers it inevitable that attempts to assault and conceal cargo vehicles at the accesses and esplanades of the Port of Ceuta will multiply.
«This situation places transport professionals in a position of absolute vulnerability, exposing them to a serious risk of road safety and health caused by the clandestine introduction of people into hermetic spaces or vehicle axles, putting the lives of the migrants themselves in imminent danger and compromising the physical safety of drivers», he underpinned.
FENADISMER DEMANDS TO REINFORCE SECURITY IN THE PORT OF CEUTA
For all these reasons, Fenadismer formally demanded that the Ministry of the Interior, the Government Delegation in Ceuta and the Port Authority adopt strong contingency measures, through the perimeter shielding of the port through the increase of the troops of the National Police and the Civil Guard at the road accesses to the port, to prevent trucks from being boarded during traffic jams or technical stops, as well as the intensification of the use of high-tech scanners, thermal cameras and other control personnel in the pre-boarding areas, with the Administration assuming full responsibility for certifying that the vehicle travels «clean».
«The road transport sector is the umbilical cord that guarantees the supply of Ceuta and the continuity of its economic activity,» added this employers’ association, before appealing to the «responsibility of the authorities to act with maximum effectiveness in order to prevent carriers from assuming the risks of a global public security crisis«.
