60 Mallorca wooden boats face berth threat in Portocolom
Nearly 60 traditional wooden boats in Portocolom, Mallorca, could be caught by new mooring rules that leave them out of the water for much of the year. The Association of Traditional Boats of Portocolom says permits for the restored Sa Bassa Nova 1 and Es Babo areas allow boats to remain afloat for only four to six months. It is demanding permanent, safe and affordable berths for the wooden vessels.
€2,862 a year for four to six months afloat
The permits linked to the restored casetas set an annual charge of €2,862, the association says. It argues that this overturns the previous arrangement, under which boats could stay in the sea all year on social-rate terms.
Keeping restored boats out of the water for six or eight months could put their survival at risk, the group warns. It raised the issue with PortsIB in October 2024, proposing phased works and temporary moves to berths outside the affected areas.
Row over 36 permanent leisure berths
PortsIB is also running a separate process to allocate 36 permanent berths to leisure boats on the seventh register. The association says it is hard to accept that those craft can secure a base berth while traditional boats cannot.
It also fears Sa Capella could lose the familiar sight of traditional llaüts and bots. Smaller unregistered bots would be left with no route to a berth.
A book published this summer, Catalogació de barques tradicionals de Portocolom 2023-2024, records 197 traditional boats, with more than a third kept in Portocolom. The association wants year-round base berths, social tariffs, temporary relocation during works and a say in decisions affecting the harbour.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com