The Ministry of Transport presents for voting this Tuesday the team configured to lead the new Independent Administrative Authority for the Technical Investigation of Railway, Maritime, and Civil Aviation Accidents and Incidents, with the maritime captain of A Coruña Gonzalo Julián Guillén Espejo-Saavedra at the helm. During his career of more than 20 years at the Ministry of Transport, he has been coordinator of maritime safety and inspection and inspector in the same field.
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The body, which was created with the approval in the Congress of Deputies of Law 2/2024, is called to merge the three technical investigation commissions of accidents attached to the Ministry of Transport: the CIAIAC (civil aviation), the CIAIM (maritime accidents), and the CIAF (railway), the latter being in the spotlight since the beginning of the year after the tragic train accidents in Adamuz (Córdoba) and Gelida (Barcelona), where a total of 47 fatalities were recorded. It is expected that the technicians from the three will be integrated into the new entity’s team.
Although it was established more than two years ago, the Authority did not have an organic statute until last February, approved by the Council of Ministers. In recent months, according to the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, a headquarters and president for the new institution have been sought. Its effective launch will surely take place amid the ongoing investigation of the mentioned cases in high-speed and Rodalies of Catalonia.
Guillén, belonging to the Naval Engineers Corps, will appear before the Transport Commission of the Congress as a candidate proposed by the Executive, after which the proposal will be voted on. Alongside him would act as advisors in the railway section Adolfo Moreno Díaz, safety advisor and current member of the CIAF, and Jorge Navacerrada Álvarez, infrastructure expert. The deputy director general of air transport, Verónica Elvira Olalla, and Iberia pilot María Teresa Lumbreras Encinas would be advisors for the air section. And the maritime branch would count on the director of port operations of the Port of Tarragona, Nuria Obiols Vives, and the maritime captain of Arousa, Juan Andrés Pérez Pérez. As planned, Iñaki Barrón, current president of the CIAF, will be detached from the new authority.
To succeed, the candidacy of Guillén Espejo-Saavedra requires an absolute majority in a first vote, or a majority in a second. His election has departed from the initial desire of the Minister of Transport that an expert in railways lead the independent body. An assessment motivated by the weight of current events and criticized by the College of Aeronautical Engineers (COIAE) and the Official College of Commercial Aviation Pilots (COPAC) in defense of total independence in the appointment process.
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