Lorenzo Pons: There is no project for the Formentor mooring field

Since June 1, sailors can now reserve moorings and anchor in the mooring fields managed by Ports IB, except for one—the Formentor mooring field. Due to an appeal filed by the Association of Sailors of Northern Mallorca against the tender for this mooring field, Ports IB announced on its website that reservations in this area could not be made until June 21.

Lorenzo Pons, a board member of the Association of Sailors of Northern Mallorca, visited the Pasión por el Mar studios to inform us about the current situation of this anchorage area. “We hope it will not be operational from June 21, as Formentor beach is the only sandy beach in the bay of Pollença and the only anchorage site where families and locals can go to anchor,” he confesses.

To prevent the installation of Ports IB moorings in this area, the Association of Sailors of Northern Mallorca filed an appeal against the tender announcement for the mooring field. “We have presented a series of legal arguments that we believe are more than sufficient to prevent it from becoming operational,” explains Pons, adding that “the tender lacks the minimum legal rigor and should not even go to tender, as Ports IB should directly manage this mooring field and not subcontract a private company.”

The appeal against the tender for this mooring field is primarily based on the posidonia decree, which specifies that the public administration must manage the mooring field, and that there must be a free anchorage area over sand within the mooring field, as long as maritime safety is respected. “Formentor is a very large sandy area, so I don't see the need for this mooring field, because if it's to protect the posidonia, the problem is not in the bay of Formentor,” Pons emphasizes.

The association argues that there is no project for this mooring field and “there should be a project that takes into account what the posidonia decree stipulates.” Additionally, “there are not enough buoys, and there is a fairly extensive area on the buoy map.” Currently, the plan for the Formentor area includes approximately 80 buoys with a separation of 25 to 50 meters between them. “If a well-done project is carried out, at least 200 or 300 boats could fit,” Pons explains.

Another point raised by the association is the profitability of this mooring field. “We see the tenders they issue and almost certainly they lose money, paying more to the manager than they collect from the buoy fees,” he asserts.

For this reason, the Association of Sailors of Northern Mallorca is asking the government to consider their arguments, “to help us, understand the situation, and recognize that the bay of Pollença is not the bay of Palma.”