The ship Southwester, with its cargo of 4,300 cubic metres of sand from the Sahara, docked yesterday in Palma. Unloading of the containers commenced in the afternoon; a crane with a scoop was used to transfer the sand to lorries provided by a building materials transportation company.
The Guardia Civil, who had been urged to prevent the sand being imported, confirmed that everything was in order with the documentation.
The association of friends of the Saharan people, which had denounced the import and described the movement of the sand as robbery and plunder, organised a protest with some fifty people at the Dique del Oeste at the port. Politicians were involved with the protest and included the regional environment minister, Vicenç Vidal, some Palma town hall councillors and the Council of Majorca's vice-president, Jesús Jurado.