Unauthorised anchorage

NEARLY 200 boats are currently anchored without authorisation in the Mar Menor, leading to concerns raised by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (Miteco). The La Puntica yacht club has established an unapproved anchorage in the bay of Villananitos, Lo Pagán, where 194 boats are moored to floating moorings.

This unauthorised occupation is not the only issue. Workers have complained about questionable practices that negatively impact the Mar Menor. Allegations include orders to repaint buoys in the water, unauthorised dredging of the seabed, and the replacement of broken anchors with cement blocks known as ‘muertos’, (dead) which have been misused in the lagoon.

Efforts were made in 2019 to regularise this occupation, but the necessary reports from regional ministries were never received. The lack of regulations preventing the anchoring of recreational boats is exploited by the La Puntica anchorage. The president of the Nautical Club denies engaging in harmful practices and claims ignorance regarding the use of ‘dead’ buoys.

The Plan for the Protection of the Coastal Edge of the Mar Menor highlights the negative impacts of anchoring, including increased hydrocarbon levels and disturbance of the seabed caused by propellers.