PortsIB to roll out a field of 90 eco-friendly buoys in Talamanca Bay

The project includes 90 mooring points to regulate anchoring and protect the bay’s posidonia seagrass meadows.

The Director General of Ports and Maritime Transport, Antoni Mercant, and the Mayor of Eivissa, Rafael Triguero, have presented the project to install a field of eco-friendly buoys in Talamanca Bay. PortsIB has resumed progress on this initiative after the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge modified the initial plan and transferred responsibility for carrying out the works to the regional government without specifying funding.

Also attending the presentation were PortsIB manager Kico Villalonga; the Deputy Mayor and Councillor for the Environment of Eivissa Town Council, Jordi Grivé; and the Councillor for Beaches, Rubén Sousa. The regional government expressed its gratitude for the collaboration and willingness of Eivissa Town Council, with which it is working in a coordinated manner to advance a necessary initiative to improve the organization and environmental protection of the bay.

The project provides for 90 eco-friendly mooring points for vessels up to 20 meters in length, distributed across three zones covering a total area of 22.47 hectares of public maritime-terrestrial domain. The initiative will regulate anchoring and reduce the impact caused by anchors and chains on Posidonia oceanica meadows.

The estimated budget amounts to €1,676,915, VAT included. PortsIB is simultaneously working on preparing the tender for the works, which could be launched in September, subject to obtaining the necessary reports and authorizations.

The plan aims for the buoy field to be operational by the next season, provided that administrative and contractual procedures progress as expected and no appeals delay or halt the process.

Mercant emphasized that “Talamanca experiences heavy nautical pressure during the summer months and needs a solution that allows recreational use of the bay to coexist with the protection of posidonia.”

“PortsIB is working to move this project forward, recover lost time during processing, and provide an orderly, safe, and environmentally respectful mooring system,” he added.

For his part, Triguero stated that “our coastline and our posidonia can no longer wait. After years lost due to the Ministry’s failure to execute this project and its final decision to step away, in just three months the Government of the Balearic Islands and Eivissa Town Council, working in a coordinated and intensive manner, have set this initiative in motion.”

“Today we are able to set a near-term horizon to put an end, once and for all, to uncontrolled anchoring in Talamanca Bay. Thanks to the work and commitment of the regional government, together with the Town Council, Talamanca Bay will finally have its buoy field,” the mayor added.

The project allocates 16 moorings for motorboats up to six meters; 26 for vessels up to eight meters; 34 for vessels between eight and fifteen meters; and 14 for vessels between fifteen and twenty meters.

The mooring systems will be adapted to the characteristics of the seabed and will avoid dragging caused by conventional chains and anchors. As a preliminary step, an underwater survey will be conducted and the 30 existing traditional moorings, along with concrete blocks and other obsolete elements in the bay, will be removed.

Subsequently, eco-friendly anchors, mooring lines, buoys, and the necessary marking system will be installed to define and signal the field. The project establishes an estimated execution period of four months.

The initial plan proposed by the Ministry stated that the central government would be responsible for drafting and executing the installations with European funding, while PortsIB would handle administrative processing and subsequent management.

However, after several months of work between the two administrations, the Ministry informed PortsIB that it was making the executive projects available so that the autonomous community would also assume responsibility for carrying out the works.

This change occurred without specifying funding or a new timeline and without sufficient time to complete administrative procedures, tender the works, and execute the installations during the summer of 2026.

“The Ministry’s change of criteria has caused delays and forced a reconsideration of the procedure, but the regional government has decided to move forward so that Talamanca can have this infrastructure as soon as possible,” Mercant noted.

The presentation coincided with an inspection operation carried out that morning in Talamanca Bay, coordinated between the Guardia Civil, Eivissa Local Police, Civil Protection, environmental officers, and PortsIB’s Coastal Surveillance Service.

Provisionally, 20 inspections were carried out during the operation and 7 reports were issued for possible regulatory breaches. Final results will be known once all actions and collected documentation have been reviewed.

The operation focused on supervising nautical activity, ensuring compliance with regulations, and detecting potential irregularities related to anchoring and boat rentals.

Eivissa Town Council maintains a firm commitment to combating illegal activity, reflected in the organization of numerous operations and a significant increase in controls and surveillance across different areas. This work covers tourism activity as well as land and maritime transport, with the aim of ensuring compliance with regulations, protecting legal operators, and strengthening safety and service quality.

These operations form part of the cross-cutting strategy promoted by the regional government through the Balearic Islands Anti-Illegal Activity Task Force. This body strengthens cooperation between administrations, inspection bodies, social agents, and economic sectors to improve information sharing and coordinate prevention and control measures against illegal practices.

Citizens, local councils, and professionals in the sector can report potential irregularities via the email vigilancia@portsib.es, attaching photos, videos, locations, or any other information that may assist inspectors.