Mallorca: 3-tonne boat lifted from Puerto Portals

A 3,000-kilo boat that sank five years ago has been lifted from the seabed off Puerto Portals, Mallorca. The recovery happened on Saturday as crews also removed almost four tonnes of rubbish from the sea. The five-metre vessel was brought safely ashore after a complex operation to refloat it.

The work formed part of the third Blue Marina Clean-Up Subaquatic, an environmental clean-up and awareness day involving Protemas, Mar de Fondo and Big Blue Diving.

Divers had found the sunken boat during an earlier inspection dive. They also spotted an engine, an anchor and pieces of the hull from another boat.

Professional divers, volunteers, families, children and older people joined the clean-up along a stretch of coast where what lies below cannot be seen from the surface.

“The sea is full of rubbish,” said Manuel Sánchez, director of Protemar. He said large objects can remain on the seabed for years and have a serious impact on the ecosystem.

Puerto Portals communications director Elena Seijas said the operation also helped expose what is normally hidden underwater. As well as removing waste from the Mediterranean, she said, the clean-up makes that unseen reality visible.

Topics: Sea & coast · Environment

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com