Outboard motors and abandoned boats will be used to train future professionals

The Minister of the Sea and Water Cycle, Juan Manuel Lafuente, together with the manager of PortsIB, Kiko Villalonga, presided over the ceremony of donating recovered materials to the center.

In its commitment to training and sustainability, Ports de les Illes Balears (PortsIB) has donated several engines and nautical equipment to CIFP L’Embat, aiming to improve the training of students in the maritime field. The event was attended by the Minister of the Sea and Water Cycle, Juan Manuel Lafuente; the manager of PortsIB, Kiko Villalonga; the coordinator of the Employment Service of the Illes Balears (SOIB), María Oliveras, as well as the director and teachers of the center.

This time, the donated materials include three two-stroke engines of 75 HP, a four-stroke outboard motor, a sailboat motor with propeller and sails for practice, as well as a hydraulic net retrieval system from a fishing boat. All these materials come from boats and vessels abandoned at ports managed by PortsIB, and thanks to this recovery, students will be able to familiarize themselves with their handling and maintenance in a practical environment.

This donation adds to those previously made to various nautical sector training centers in the Illes Balears, which in 2024 received two 6-meter fiberglass boats and five engines.

This initiative is part of PortsIB's ongoing effort to reuse resources from boats intercepted at the ports of the Illes Balears. Since 2020, PortsIB has managed the collection of 268 boats, investing more than 160,000 euros in transportation, scrapping, and recycling tasks. This investment not only helps to maintain the safety and cleanliness of the Balearic coastline but also promotes the reuse of these materials for educational purposes, aiming to improve the practical training of future professionals in the nautical sector.