Monday, October 22, 2018

#738 Solving a Canary Islands Mystery

Why did we spend part of one day on our Fall 2018 voyage of Semester at Sea aboard the MV World Odyssey anchored off the Canary Islands' coast? 

Was it to enjoy the vibrant blue Atlantic Ocean and distant mountains backing the port city of Las Palmas deemed by one study as having "the best climate in the world"? 


Was it to view the large collection of drilling ships anchored nearby? 

It was none of these.  Instead we were there to meet a tanker ship for refueling.

But why take on fuel in this relatively remote place? Aren't 'island things' always more expensive?

I found one answer in the reference section of the MV World Odyssey library where the very last print edition (2010) of the Encyclopedia Britannica resides. In Volume 2 the entry for the Canary Islands ends with this paragraph:

"The Canary Islands manufacturing industries are small scale outside Santa Cruz de Tenerife whose petroleum refinery processes large quantities of crude oil."  

Yours in mystery solving in the library,
Kelly   

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