PortsIB has carried out 12 days of inspection and removed more than 1,5 tons of waste, in addition to three abandoned vessels from the port

The Balearic Islands Government has reinforced surveillance, inspection, and cleaning measures along the Pollença coastline through the Ministry of the Sea and Water Cycle and its affiliated services and agencies. The Minister of the Sea and Water Cycle, Juan Manuel Lafuente, visited the area today, accompanied by the Mayor of Pollença, Martí March; the President of the Pollença Hotel Association, Aina Sastre; the Director General of Ports and Maritime Transport, Antoni Mercant; the Manager of PortsIB, Kico Villalonga; the Pollença Port Council Delegate, Joana Aina Campomar; and the President of the Pollença Port Yacht Club, Joaquin Cotoner, to learn firsthand about the ongoing operations and address the situation of the coastline during the peak tourist season.

During this season, the Coastal Surveillance Service has carried out 12 days of inspections and 230 checks at various points along the northern coast of Mallorca, including the Bay of Pollença, Formentor, and Es Barcarès. The operation has included monitoring charter activities, anchorages, protecting the Posidonia seagrass meadows, and tracking the Formentor buoy field.

In the area of ​​charter activity control, four operations have been carried out, during which seven vessels or activities were inspected and five reports were filed. The inspections included verifying the skipper's nautical qualifications, as well as the passenger list and boarding and disembarking authorizations.

Environmental monitoring has also played a key role, with five days of Posidonia seagrass monitoring and 79 checks. These actions were carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, the body responsible for Posidonia protection, and included two reports of anchoring violations on Posidonia seagrass, as well as monitoring anchorages in particularly sensitive areas.

Regarding the control of moorings, six days have been carried out, with 154 checks.

In Formentor, the buoy field control device, managed by PortsIB, has included two days of control and a support device for the installation, with a total of 68 checks recorded and five complaint bulletins.

In parallel, the Balearic Government is working on regulating anchorages through new buoy fields. In this regard, PortsIB will soon submit to the Ministry a proposal to expand Zone 2 in three Balearic Islands ports: Pollença, Sóller, and Colònia de Sant Jordi. These proposals will be processed jointly for tendering. In the case of Pollença, the proposal includes the implementation of a regulated buoy field between the Gola channel and the air base, with the aim of organizing anchorages and contributing to better coastal protection.

Alongside the surveillance operations, the Coastal Cleaning Service has removed a total of 1.584,4 kilos of waste from the Pollença area. According to the count carried out up to August 19, the collected material consists mainly of vegetation, representing 58,1% of the total, followed by wood (25,8%), plastic (14,9%), and other waste (1,2%).

Furthermore, on August 6th, PortsIB removed three abandoned vessels from the boat dock at the port of Pollença. Specifically, a sunken vessel and two inflatable boats were removed to maintain the port facilities in good condition and prevent these abandoned vessels from causing safety or environmental problems.

Regional Minister Juan Manuel Lafuente praised “the work carried out daily on the ground to protect and maintain the coastline, especially during the summer months, when both maritime activity and the influx of visitors increase.” He highlighted that “this season alone, 230 inspections have been carried out, more than 1,5 tons of waste have been removed, and three abandoned boats have been taken from the port of Pollença.”

“This work combines surveillance and inspection with specific cleaning and maintenance activities, as well as measures to improve the management of anchorages. We want maritime activity to be compatible with environmental protection and the preservation of our natural spaces,” Lafuente stated.

The regional minister also emphasized the importance of maintaining ongoing coordination with local authorities and ensuring the involvement of the various stakeholders connected to the coastline. “Protecting the coastline is a shared responsibility. It is crucial that government bodies and sectors directly linked to the coast maintain open communication channels to identify needs and act in a coordinated manner,” he stated.

This set of actions is part of the Government's strategy to move towards a more efficient and sustainable management of the Balearic Islands coastline, combining the protection of natural spaces with the maintenance of infrastructure and coexistence with maritime activities.