"Sabotage" of boats closes Puerto Pollensa beach

Andrew EdePollensa21/06/2022 08:07

On Monday, Pollensa town hall activated an emergency procedure when there were spills of fuel from two boats and a jet ski in Puerto Pollensa. The red flag was raised. Among others, schoolchildren who were at the Albercuix beach at the time had to get out of the water.

Mayor Tomeu Cifre said that it was too early to confirm for sure but that it appeared as if the boats and jet ski had been sabotaged. "It could be related to a mooring 'scheme'. There are people who put out buoys and charge for mooring. When we arrived, it turned out that the vessels had been sunk. They had open fuel and oil caps."

The problem of illegal anchoring in Pollensa Bay is not new, but it has been getting worse in recent years. The town hall suspects that the apparent sabotage was the consequence of a dispute over unauthorised moorings.

The large number of boats illegally moored in the area prevented a Maritime Safety Agency boat from getting close to the scene of the incident. The mayor went on to criticise a "lack of collaboration" on the part of the Costas Authority, as the spills occurred outside the bathing area.