The Formentor buoy course, paralyzed by the sailors' appeal

Ports IB announces this Thursday that no bookings can be made at the Formentor buoy course until the 21st of June, due to the appeal lodged against the tender for the same by the Association of Navigators of the North of Mallorca (ANNM).

However, just a week ago we reported that from next Saturday, 1st of June, it will be possible to make reservations at the buoy fields managed by Ports IB. This Thursday, 30th of May, Ports IB announced on its website that until the 21st of June it will not be possible to make bookings at the Formentor buoy course, while the rest of the courses will be operational as of Saturday 1st of June. Through a notice published on the Ports IB booking website, the organization informs of this measure, which is attributed to the appeal lodged against the tender for the management of the buoy course. 

This appeal was filed earlier this month by the Asociación de Navegantes del Norte de Mallorca (ANNM) with the backing and support of Asociación de Navegantes ADN Mediterráneo, after learning of the publication on the state contracting platform of the tender for the management of the Formentor buoy course, and considering it null and void. 

The sailors allege that the tender is ‘manifestly illegal because the current law clearly establishes that it should be the public administration, and not a subcontracted private company, which directly manages the buoy field’. It also stresses that ‘the authorisation and/or environmental assessment of the Formentor buoy field project has not been carried out taking into account the requirements of Decree 25/2018’ on the conservation of posidonia oceanica in the Balearic Islands, so the tender ‘lacks legal validity’. 

Finally, from the Association of Navigators of the North of Mallorca (ANNM) point out in the letter submitted that ‘the alleged project on which this tender is based does not establish free anchoring areas on sand, although this situation could be remedied during the execution of the direct management of the field, the Technical Specifications do not establish it, and previous experience shows that in practice it is not fulfilled, flagrantly harming the rights of all sailors in the area’. Consequently, it is requested that the invitation to tender be annulled.

It so happens that last February, during a meeting held at the Regional Ministry of the Sea and Water Cycle between representatives of ADN, ANNM and the Directorate General for Ports and Maritime Transport and the Directorate General for Coasts and Coastal Areas, the sailors expressed their concerns to the administration regarding issues such as free anchoring and the limitation and withdrawal of projects to install buoy fields on sand.

On this point, they insisted that recreational boating should not be criminalized, nor should boaters as long as the behaviour observed is civic. ‘If there is a real threat to the Posidonia meadows, as has been demonstrated in recent years, it is for other reasons, and not because of the anchoring of boats,’ they said. For this reason, it was requested that ‘if for some reason a field of buoys has to be installed, these should not be on sand, but on posidonia meadows and with ecological anchors that avoid damaging the plant and the meadows’. 

Likewise, the need to reformulate all the regulations concerning the buoy fields was stressed, since the time slots marketed, the prices for night and daytime anchoring, as well as the safety of these buoys must be reviewed to set rates for use that allow for ease of payment, the possibility of short stays and that are of symbolic cost and/or subsidised for local boats of resident sailors. Likewise, the need for the buoys to guarantee safe anchoring in all weather conditions, and not only up to 10 knots of wind intensity as established by the current regulations in force, was also expressed.

After listening to all these considerations from sailors, Ports IB announced last week a new platform designed to improve the experience of booking buoy fields, which can be accessed through the QR codes that have been implemented on the buoys. 

In this way, users of the platform will be able to choose between several types of vouchers to suit different needs and schedules:

-Bathing Voucher: Available in morning (from 10:00 to 14:00 hours) and afternoon (from 14:00 to 18:00 hours) modes, ideal for those looking to enjoy a short period in the water.

-Day Pass: Valid from 10:00 to 18:00, perfect for a full day at sea.

-Overnight voucher: Allows continuous use from 18:30 on the day of entry until 18:00 on the following day, with a maximum of three consecutive days. After use, you must wait four days to be able to book again on the same pitch.

For its part, the Conselleria informed the associations present that it is willing to reach agreements on issues of great importance to both associations, such as the possibility of generalising free anchoring on sand, which although it is covered by current regulations, in practice it is not allowed if there is a buoy field installed.