The First 'Mencey', Chartered for CEPSA Service in Tenerife

There was a time, in the early 1980s, when CEPSA, facing the growing demand for bunkering supply at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the insufficiency of its own vessels to meet this service –“Mayorga”, “Ciudad Rodrigo” and “Monteleón”, followed by the barge “Spabunker I”– chartered the tanker “Mencey” –the first of this name, IMO 7230329– from Naviera Petrogás to reinforce its capacity. Those were different times, very different from today.

This ship, built at the shipyard in Palma de Mallorca and delivered in 1972, carried 4,000 tons of fuel after its lengthening and has undoubtedly been one of the most profitable ships of the aforementioned shipping company, making about 140 annual trips between Tenerife and Gran Canaria. In the image of Captain Juan Castellano Couros –who commanded it for a long time– we see it moored alongside the port side of the tanker “Melilla”, from Marflet, anchored in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Photo: Juan Castellano Couros for puentedemando.com