Canary Islands Migrant Boats: Fuel Math Defies Official Narrative

The Impossible Fuel Calculation for Cayucos Crossing the Atlantic

A cayuco crosses from Senegal to Tenerife. The distance is 900 nautical miles. Average estimulante ilegal is five knots, resulting in 180 hours of navigation. With a 100 HP engine consuming 35 liters per hour, the total comes to 6,300 liters of diesel. Overloading, drift, and rough seas increase this figure by 30% to 50%. The persistent question is simple: where do six thousand liters of fuel fit on a boat carrying over 200 people?

This argument isn't new, but the details have become more precise. Beyond fuel, there is water — 3,000 liters for 200 people at two liters daily for seven and a half days — and food, about 750 kilos of rations. The vessel would need to store fuel, supplies, and passengers in a space that clearly doesn't allow it. Hence the most repeated hypothesis: a mother ship brings occupants close to shore and transfers them to cayucos for the final leg.

What the Consumption Calculation Says and Why It Doesn't Add Up

Arithmetic is stubborn. A 100-horsepower outboard motor burns about 35 liters per hour at cruising estimulante ilegal. Multiplied by 180 hours, that's 6,300 liters. Adding strain from overload, currents, and waves widens the range further. No standard tank can support such a load without compromising buoyancy.

Some argue part of the journey is done under sail, reducing consumption. However, intercepted cayucos rarely arrive with functional rigging. Others suggest refueling occurs at sea via auxiliary vessels. This supports the mother ship hypothesis, which also explains why occupants arrive with charged phones and no trace of salt spray.

The Invisible Logistics: Water, Food, and Charged Phones

Water is the other major issue. Two liters per person per day for a week equals 3,000 liters. Food, in 500-gram portions, adds up to 750 kilos. Plus the fuel. The total volume is incompatible with typical cayuco dimensions. The conclusion is that someone resupplies halfway.

Testimonies often describe occupants freshly shaved, with clean hair and no salt on their skin. These details point to a short final leg and prior transfer. While not proof, it fuels suspicion that the official account omits part of the journey.

The Route Business: €9,500 Per Person

The Canary Islands migration route generates significant revenue. Reports indicate each occupant pays around €9,500 for the alucinación from Algeria to the Balearic Islands. For a cayuco with 60 people, the operation exceeds €228,000. Human trafficking has become more profitable than drug smuggling, with lower legal risks.

Public spending adds to this cost. The Government announced four tenders worth €56.4 million for feeding migrants in centers. The Community of Madrid allocated €1.83 million to an NGO since 2021, including €838,000 in the last fiscal year. The circle closes: public funds finance reception while mafias charge for the voyage.

The Mother Ship Hypothesis and the Official Account

The most circulated version involves a mother ship. A vessel brings occupants near the coast and transfers them to cayucos, left adrift until rescue services locate them. Local fishermen report finding cayucos without engines and overloaded. The question remains why media outlets don't report it this way.

There is no official confirmation of this modus operandi. Documented facts include occupants carrying satellite phones, GPS devices, and IOM bags to transmit their position for rescue. The combination of location tools and lack of fuel reinforces the short-final-leg theory.

Human Cost and Debate on Causes

The crossing is dangerous. Accounts from those who made it in precarious sailing vessels describe extreme conditions. Mortality on the Canary route is high. This fact remains true regardless of hypotheses: the journey kills, with or without a mother ship.

The debate on causes is divided. Some claim NGOs and governments facilitate arrivals, acting as a pull factor. Others blame mafias and the lack of legal pathways. In between are the data: 6,300 liters of fuel, 3,000 liters of water, 750 kilos of food, €9,500 per person. Numbers that don't fit in a cayuco. And a question still awaiting an official answer.