They denounce that the southern coast of Mallorca has become a dumping ground for small boats.

PalmAn anonymous group of nautical workers reported this Friday that the southern coast of Mallorca has become a graveyard for small boats due to the inaction of the authorities.

In a statement, the group specified that the section between Caracol beach and Cape Ses Salines, within a Marine Reserve, has been filled with abandoned vessels. Alongside the serious humanitarian crisis that has already claimed the lives of hundreds of people, a "silent but alarming environmental crisis" is brewing, they noted, along with the city councils of Ses Salines and Santanyí, PortsIB, Maritime Rescue, the Coast Guard, and the Civil Guard.

The workers' group added that in the last two years, a dozen small boats have been stranded or sunk in this protected stretch of coastline. Once the migrants are rescued, the boats are marked by the Civil Guard and subsequently abandoned at sea, which poses a serious risk to navigation and a significant ecological impact due to the decomposition and dismemberment of these fiberglass boats in marine ecosystems.

They stated that the situation is aggravated by the repeated refusal of the port manager of Colonia de Sant Jordi to accept these boats, even when they are towed by private sailors or by official coastal cleanup vessels or anchorage control vessels on Posidonia. The group acknowledged that the port selectively accepts boats arriving in the Cabrera Maritime-Terrestrial National Park, with their final destination being the Son Tous depot, while systematically rejecting those coming from the coastline near the port itself.

The workers have emphasized that they are forced to remain anonymous for fear of workplace and institutional retaliation. "On several occasions, we have tried to file complaints with the Civil Guard, but we have been dissuaded and warned of the possible negative consequences for us," they warned.