The Balearic government inspection service has so far this year submitted 54 reports of irregularities involving charter boats, 350% more than the infractions detected in all of 2022, according to the Maritime Minister, Juan Manuel Lafuente, on Tuesday. “The Government is working to bring order to the sea,” Lafuente said during the parliamentary plenary session in response to a question from Socialist MP Damià Borràs, who accused him of having done very little in the face of the “chaos” in the private use of boats and other aquatic vessels in the Balearics.
“I don’t hold him responsible for the accidents,” said the PSOE MP, referring to the death of a young man who was fishing in a boat that was run over by a large yacht in Cala Bona, “but I do hold him responsible for bringing order to the chaos at sea.”
Lafuente stressed that the Balearic Government is responsible for the rental of boats and the transport of passengers by sea in the Balearics, but both Maritime Rescue and safety in coastal waters by the Guardia Civil depend on the central government. The minister pointed out that, although these bodies do “excellent work”, they lack “sufficient” personnel and material to meet real needs.
However, he stressed that, within the framework of his powers, he has promoted coordination meetings between administrations, promoted safety guides and good practices, improved safety protocols in regional ports and called for a ban on the rental of unlicensed boats.