BULLETIN STAFF REPORTER
PLEASURE boats are responsible for most accidents at sea, warned the Undersecretary for Public Works, Adolfo Menéndez, yesterday, and in view of the onset of summer, he recommended that users enjoy the sea but with caution. Reports confirm that in 2002, the Marine Rescue Centre in Palma, which co-ordinates response to emergencies at sea in the Balearics, was called to 415 incidents in which 1'540 people were involved. With this in mind, the Undersecretary presented a new 21-metre maritime rescue vessel Acrux in Puerto Portals as an addition to the Balearic Maritime Rescue Centre. He indicated that a fresh angle of their campaign this summer is the new ruling on security and prevention measures related to pleasure vessels. The campaign, which will be made public tomorrow in Almería, is based on television advertisements and information leaflets published in the official State languages of Spain and its communities, as well as in English, French and German. During summer, it is recognised that tourism plays an important part in aquatic sports, emphasized Menéndez. The wife of the Mayor of Calviá, Carlos Delgado of the Partido Popular, will be the patron of the new motor launch that was unveiled yesterday by the Ministry of Public Works . The vessel is 21 metres long and replaces the Salvamar Castillo de Bellver that has taken part in 782 maritime emergencies since 1991. Among its most notable missions was the rescue of eight crew members from the merchant ship Liberta that sank in August of 1997 off the south-east of Cabrera. Based in Puerto Portals, it can reach a speed of 40 knots with a 2'500 horsepower engine. It is specially designed for rescue work and for combatting problems at sea caused by pleasure craft, explained Menéndez during the public ceremony which was attended by a number of dignitaries including José Luíz López-Sors who is the director general of Merchant Shipping, Javier Gárate - the director of Maritime Rescue, and Miquel Ramis - the central Government delegate in the Balearics.