The Government and Civil Guard intensify the fight against illegal boat rental

The actions include documentation controls, authorizations and professional certifications of the sailors.

The councilor of Mar y del Ciclo del Agua, Juan Manuel Lafuente; coronel tennant Francisco Ramón Martínez; head of the Civil Guard Maritime Service Francisco Córdoba; Ports and Maritime Transport general director, Antoni Mercant, and PortsIB manager, Kiko Villalonga, has presented this Friday, June 20th, a new edition of the campaign of control and inspectionf os boats which carry out renting activities without fulfilling the legal requirements or violating the current law.

This operative, coordinated with different public organizations, fulfills its consecutive seventh year already and aims to slow down the irregular activities linked to passengers' transport, illegal mooring or the gathering of people in non authorized spots. The actions include documentation controls, authorizations and professional sailing certifications.

“It is essential to eradicate illegal activities that risk security and the marine environment of our islands”, has pointed out councilor Juan Manuel Lafuente. “We cannot allow that a few people compromise the natural resources of everyone nor generate a disloyal competence besides the ones who do follow the law.”

So far to this date, 2025. 40 new expedients have already been opened, with 17 mild infractions  and serious 23 ones, and sanctions that could reach 173.100 euros. In addition, 45 complaints and referred records are still waiting to be processed by the Civil Guard, the Customs Vigilance Service and the technicians of the General Direction.

During 2024, a total of 153 sanctioning records in the Balearic Islands were carried out by infractions related to boat rental and the normatives of maritime transport, of which 64 were due to mild infractions and 89 due to severe ones. Of them 131 have already been processed and 22 are still open. The proposed sanctions go up to a total of 462.200,01 euros.

Since 2019, the annual date of records has been the following:

• 2019: 17 records (8 mild and 9 severe), for a total of €35.250
• 2020: 24 records (6 mild and 15 severe), for a total of €59.200
• 2021: 64 records (35 mild, 27 severe and 2 very severe), for a total of €77.000
• 2022: 101 records (50 mild and 51 severe), for a total of €122.360
• 2023: 109 records (53 mild and 56 severe), for a total of €125.020
• 2024: 153 records (64 mild and 89 severe), for a total of €462.200,01

Between 2019 and 2024, the number of sanctioning records has risen up with an 800%, which reflects the growing effort of the Government in means, personnel and interinstitutional coordination to affront an activity that generates important environmental, economic and security impacts.

The councilor has once again claimed a more active implication from Spain’s Government in the control of the irregular nautical activity, especially in terms of illegal moorings and the coast’s political function, which are state’s competences. “We don’t look to another side: we are making an effort that does not belong to us and we will keep doing it because we have a lot at risk.” he has pointed out.