Frigate team on fact finding Plymouth visit

By Humphrey Carter A delegation from Calvia Council arrived in Plymouth yesterday to study the marine reserve created off the English coast by sinking the decommissioned Royal Navy frigate HMS Scylla. Calvia Council hopes to carry out a similar project next year and work on reconditioning the Spanish navy frigate Baleares has already started in the port of Cartagena. The idea is to sink the frigate near the Malgrats isles to rejuvenate marine life in the area and extend the size of the Malgrats marine reserve. The council also intends to create one of Europe's most unique diving centres. The Calvia delegation to Plymouth is being led by Councillor Antoni Ramis who is in charge of strategic development at the Town Hall and also a member of the Calvia 2004 Foundation. Since being sunk, the 2'500 ton, 113 metre HMS Scylla has created an artificial reef for marine life which is now part of the National Marine Aquarium which last year alone, generated over one million pounds for the local economy. Despite its location, the aquarium is extremely popular with divers - a tourism sector which Calvia is keen to develop while playing a very important role in marine preservation. The area of water where the Baleares will be sunk next Autumn has been killed by over-fishing but the artificial reef and the strict controls of recreational and diving activity in the area will enable the sea life to blossom again. The project here in Majorca will be carried out by a Canadian team of world-leading experts in this field. This summer they took care of sinking the decommissioned Australian frigate Brisbane off the coast of its home city. Creating reefs using decommissioned naval craft is a well-proven system and has been carried out across the world. The work being carried out now on the Baleares has to comply with strict international safety, contamination and security requirements and the sinking has to be very carefully controlled. The frigate will come to rest at the optimum depth to offer three different marine habitats and breeding zones: to marine life which requires lots of light, medium light and those which prefer the dark depths of the sea. This will also make the trip much more exciting for divers and far more interesting for marine experts. The Plymouth site has become a very important education and research project and Calvia has plans to provide similar facilities in Majorca. However, despite the fact that these artificial reefs have the full support of leading international environmental associations, here in Majorca, GOB and the local branch of Greenpeace are against the project. But, the sinking of the Baleares has the full backing of the Ministry for Agriculture, the Calvia hotel sector as well as the tourist industry, local businesses and the diving centres.