News July 18th

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JULY 18th 2007

A cargo ship operated by the firm, Iscomar, sank off the coast of Ibiza at around 4a.m. last Wednesday, after crashing into the small island of es Dau Gros.  The boat, which contained ninety-eight trailers, two trucks and five cars, left the port of Ibiza a little behind schedule at just before 3a.m.  Fifteen minutes later, crew members heard a terrifying noise as the boat crashed into the tiny island of es Dau Gros, opening up a significant crack in the boat.  The twenty people on board had time to raise the alarm and launch the rescue boats, before abandoning ship. 
A tow-boat from Ibiza port was soon on the scene, and immediately tried to drag the ship away from the busy entrance to the port.  However due to the large amount of water which had already entered the boat, it was only able to tow the vessel some three hundred metres, before she eventually sank. 
There were twenty people on board at the time, eighteen crew members and the drivers of the two trucks.  While thirteen were able to get into the life-boats, seven remained in the water waiting to be rescued.  At around 4.30a.m they arrived back at port where they were all taken to Can Misses hospital, several suffering from hyperthermia and shock.  They were all released the following morning, and remain on the island while investigations continue into the cause of the accident. 
The second in command, Jesus Ortero, praised his crew members as he revealed that they had all behaved in exemplary fashion.  He added that they were all still very shaken up by the accident, and considered they were lucky to be alive.  He said that if the vessel had had slightly more weight, then it would certainly have tipped over.
Once it was clear that there had been no injuries in the accident, fears turned to the huge ecological problem that the island now faced.  The vessel was carrying a total of one hundred and fifty tonnes of fuel.  There were immediate signs of a leak, and divers were sent down to try and seal the cracks on Wednesday morning.  It was initially reported, after the work had been carried out, that there were no more leaks.  However, by Friday it was discovered that the leaks were continuing from three other cracks which had not, at first, been detected. 
Specialist boats were immediately sent out to try and limit the damage, and to keep the fuel away from the coast, in particular the ses Salinas natural park.  However, unfavourable winds made this task impossible, and by Friday three beaches in Ibiza Town had been forced to shut - Talamanca, ses Figueretes and part of Playa den Bossa.  Instead of bathers, men and women in white protective clothing could be seen on the three affected beaches, starting to clean up after the arrival of the fuel.  The three leaks could not eventually be sealed until Sunday, after high winds made the work impossible on Saturday. 
It was quickly decided that the remainder of the fuel should be extracted, and Saturday saw the arrival in Ibiza of the tanker, "Jacomina", the vessel that is to carry out the task.  Once the fuel has been removed, then it will be decided what will be done with the ship. 
The response from Central Government was swift, and the environment minister, Magdalena Alvarez, was on the island almost immediately controlling the work.  She was quick to deny that there were any similarities with the Prestige.  The Prestige boat sank two hundred and forty kilometres off the coast of Galicia in November 2002, with catastrophic results that are still being felt today.  She pointed out that the Prestige contained 70,000 tonnes of fuel and the Don Pedro just 150 tonnes.  She said that everything would be done to ensure that the damage was limited, and pleaded with the press "not to blow the story out of proportion." 
Her views were shared by the Interior Minister at the Consell, Maria Angeles Lecinena, who said that within a week most of the slick should have been cleaned up, and that the water would be crystal clear, as normal, within one month. 
As fears of a crisis to the tourist industry in the area were alleviated, it was revealed that only one major operator had reported any cancellations in bookings.  The majority of tourists who arrived at hotels in Talamanca, used the closure of the beaches around their hotel to hire cars and explore other areas of the island.  However the economic effect was felt in the restaurants and bars in the area, but especially in Talamanca.  The tour-operator, TUI, put on free buses for its clients to take them to ses Salinas, but it was an option that, although appreciated by the client, was not taken up by many, as most tourists chose to laze around the hotel swimming pool. 
As fears of a reservations crisis were allayed, and the cleaning up operation looked to be under control, thoughts turned to the cause of the accident.  The company that owns the ship was quick to blame human error, claiming that the captain had taken the boat too close to the island.  Although he was not arrested, he did spend several hours helping police with their enquiries.  However, he did not make any comment to the waiting press on his departure from the police station, preferring to wait until the official verdict was made public.   

Positive Side
Not too many disasters have their positive side, but it is hoped that the sinking of the Don Pedro may increase tourism in the future.  What is to be done with the ship has yet to be decided, but if authorities were to leave it in the water, it could very well become a hot-spot for scuba divers.  As well as the marine life which the boat is likely to enhance over the next five years, there is also a very big market in Europe for wreck-diving, especially in Britain.  The market is considered so big that several years ago the Town Hall in Calvia, Majorca, even considered the controlled sinking of a vessel that would have cost in the region of two million euros.  Plans were eventually shelved, but, out of crisis, there could be some positive news. 

AROUND THE ISLAND

Sales Start
Last week saw the start of the summer sales in Ibiza, with shop-owners hoping to kick start their season.  Both tourists and residents will be able to enjoy, over the next month, reductions of up to 50 per cent in the majority of clothes, shoe and other shops around the island.  
This followed the opening of the sales season on the mainland, which saw five million people hit stores in just one day, all looking for bargains.  In a survey carried out on consumers at the beginning of the year, 70 per cent of people admitted to waiting until the sales started in July, to buy clothes and other non-essential items. 
A survey carried out by Pimeef, (the association of small and medium-sized businesses) revealed that 62.5 per cent of their members believed that up until the end of June, the season had been worse than last year.  The opposite was believed by 12.5 per cent, whilst 25 per cent said that it was very similar to last season.  By municipalities, 90 per cent of those questioned in Santa Eulalia said that the season had so far been worse than last year, while only 40 per cent polled in San Antonio thought the same.

Food Poisoning
A total of 119 people in Ibiza and Formentera were affected by some form of food poisoning in 2006, which resulted in twenty-one people being hospitalized.  The majority of the cases, according to the Public Health Department, were caused by undercooked eggs or bad seafood.  In total there were twenty-three outbreaks of food poisoning on the islands.  The largest affected fifteen people who all developed symptoms of salmonella, after the consumption of pastry items.

Berth Problem
The lack of berths in the various ports of Ibiza has again hit the news after the president of the Nautical Association, Mariano Torres, claimed that the island was losing significant tourism because of the problem.  Torres called for the new local Government to re-assess the problem, and find a solution that would suit everybody.  He claimed that he was not asking for new ports to be built, merely the re-structuring of the present installations in both Ibiza Town and San Antonio.  He said that the increase in berth-spaces would bring a quality tourist to the island, for long periods of the year.
He also revealed that the situation had started to affect the boat-selling businesses on the island, as people were unwilling to purchase without a berth.

The New President
Xico Tarres, the new president of the Consell of Ibiza, was finally sworn in to office last Monday.  The former mayor of Ibiza Town, who won the May 27th election by just fifty-three votes, wasted no time in trying to heal the rift that has developed between the Town Halls and the Consell, as well as the opposition parties.  In front of an audience of around six hundred people, he promised all the leaders of the municipalities that the Consell was "their home", and that they would always be welcome to come and discuss issues affecting the municipalities. 
He pleaded with all the parties, both his own and the opposition, to forget about what had happened in the past and to look to the future.  He said that resentment was a very useful political tool, but that it causes great social damage.
However the biggest applause of the twenty minute speech came as Tarres promised both financial and legal support to those who were evicted from their homes, due to the new roads built over the last two years.  He said that the issue had caused a great divide across the island, and that he would do his very best to try and heal the damage caused.
In reference to a second hospital, Tarres promised to put pressure on the Govern Balear to commit to the issue.  He also promised greater dialogue between the Consell and the public, and promised to set up various organisations to aid this communication.  He promised vast improvements in social care, health, education and sporting facilities. 
The leader of the opposition, and former president of the Consell Insular, Pere Palau, said that he agreed with many of the issues that Tarres had spoken about.  He continued by saying that he would do all he could to help the new president in the issues that he felt were right for Ibiza.  However, he added that the speech had been very ambitious, and questioned whether it would be possible to achieve all that he had promised in just four years.       

Club Opens
Bora-Bora finally opened its doors on Tuesday after completing its one month closure order.  The beach club was ordered to shut, along with Amnesia and DC-10, after they were found guilty of allowing the sale and consumption of drugs in their establishment.  Sources at the club underlined the financial losses that the establishment had suffered over the thirty day period, pointing out the fact that they also ran restaurants, supermarkets and had over 1,500 tourist places, all of which had been severely affected.  Bora-Bora is the last of the convicted clubs to open its doors, and puts an end, for the moment, to a controversial few weeks which has seen heated debate at all levels of government.  

Low Prices
Cigarette and alcohol prices in Spain are the lowest in Europe according to a recent survey by Eurostat.  Cigarettes are 36 per cent cheaper than the European average, with alcohol 19 per cent cheaper.  The low prices do not end there and most products in Spain were cheaper than the European average, with meat (19 per cent) and dairy products (4 per cent) the stand-out items.  Denmark was over-all the most expensive place to buy products in Europe, with the United Kingdom coming top of the cigarette chart, with prices 255 per cent higher than the European average.

Donation Drop
The Blood Donation Association has made a plea to all residents, after donations fell by 18 per cent in June, compared to last year.  In total there were 3,325 donations made, a fall that has worried the president of the association, Antonio Sepulveda.  He revealed that now was the time when Ibiza needed more donations than ever, due to the increase in visitors to the island.  Donations can be made during the afternoon from 5.30p.m. - 10p.m. on the 12th, 17th, 19th and 26th in Ibiza Town and on the 24th in San Antonio and the 28th in Formentera. 

Jail Sentence
The security guard who stole 200,000 euros which was supposed to be delivered to the La Caixa bank in San Jordi has been found guilty, and sentenced to three years in jail.  The defence team had argued that the money had not been sent due to an administrative error, and that even if it had, it would have been impossible for the defendant to get access to the money without being seen by his co-worker.  The judge did not believe this story, and confirmed that it had been shown that there were ways that he could have got his hands on the money, without being seen by his work companion.
The defendant's wife was cleared of all charges, as the judge was of the opinion that she knew nothing of the incident until after it had happened.

Hotel Occupancy
Figures released last week by the Hotel Federation have shown that occupancy is down 2.2 per cent for the year, so far up until June.  The president of the association, Roberto Hortensius, explained that this decrease was down to losses made at the beginning of the year, and that he expected occupancy to be very similar to 2006 by the end of the year. 
In June ,hotel occupancy for the island was 77.84 per cent, down 0.02 from last year.  However some areas suffered more than others, with San Antonio and the bay area, and the beach resorts of San Jose, amongst the highest fallers, both registering decreases of 2.2 per cent.

Poor Education
The Balearic Islands have the worst education record in all of Spain.  Last year 38.2 per cent of all children failed their end of school exams at senior level, a figure that is 8.5 per cent above the national average.  Despite new education laws over the last six years, the results seem to be getting worse, having plummeted by 3.1 per cent in the last four years alone.  The figures were regarded as alarming by parent groups, who demanded improvements.

Airport Numbers
This weekend a total of 108,600 passengers passed through the airport in Ibiza, the highest amount so far this year, and 8,958 more than the corresponding weekend last year.  The number of flights was also up 106, with a total of 840 planes landing and taking off from the airport.  In total, between 12th-18th July, 197,850 passengers will use the airport.

Black Flags
  Ecologists in Action, the environmentally-friendly group that work out of Spain, have "awarded" forty-five "black flags" to the Balearic Islands, the second highest in the country.  The flags are awarded to areas where aggressive construction has had a severely negative effect on the eco-system, and in particular the coastal area.  Only Andalusia, which includes the heavily built up coastal towns of Malaga and Marbella, has a higher number, having been "awarded" fifty flags. 
However there was some good news for the Islands, as it was confirmed that Formentera has the best kept coastline in Spain.

IBIZA TOWN

About Time too.
After two years of continual roadworks the now infamous Avenida 8 d`Agost, which lies in the heart of Ibiza Town,was officially opened last week.  The work first started on the road in the summer of 2005 after the European Union threatened to fine the municipality six million euros for not carrying out the task of moving the off-loading of petroleum to the dock at Botafoc. The EU had paid for the changing of the unloading system of petroleum and other highly combustible liquids brought to the island, to take this very dangerous operation as far from the centre of the town as possible.  However two years after paying the money the work had still not been started by the municipality, hence they were threatened with the large fine. 
They were therefore forced to start the complicated work without being thoroughly prepared.  When the road had been dug up, it was then decided to change the sewage pipes and the entire design of the road.  In the end the work on the 1.3 kilometre road totalled just over eight million euros.  This was jointly paid for by the companies, GESA and CLH, who both benefited from the new pipelines; the Town Hall, and the Consell.
The new mayor, Lurdes Costa, described the work as the most complicated ever undertaken by the municipality.  She apologised for the delays, but said that they had been unavoidable, and caused by the different companies that had to be co-ordinated to complete the work on the road. 
The newly finished road boasts the superclub, Pacha, on one side and the soon to be completed 5-star casino hotel on the other side.  It now also includes a cycle lane of approximately 1 kilometre, which will eventually be extended when the hotel is complete.  

Breath Tests
Police in Ibiza Town charged forty-five people in June with driving under the influence, as they stepped up their campaign against drink-driving.  In total last month four hundred and thirty seven drivers were breath tested, with 5.94 per cent failing. 

SAN ANTONIO

Market Opens
The new open-air market in San Antonio opened amid criticism from local businesses.  The market has been besieged by problems since the idea first arose during this year's election campaign.  Shopkeepers have continued their protest, claiming that the stall holders are not selling traditional items from the islands, with the majority selling goods that can be found easily enough in local shops. 
Just after midday on Friday, the market eventually opened with a total of forty-four stalls.  The Councillor for local business, Jose Cardona, said that the situation would be closely monitored, and if the market had a significant effect on local shops, then the Town Hall would reconsider its position.

Tourist Critical
A British tourist remains in a critical condition, after falling from a second-floor balcony.  The accident occurred at the Llevant apartments in the centre of San Antonio.  It was confirmed by medical sources that the tourist had consumed a mixture of ecstasy and alcohol several hours before the accident, which occurred at 8a.m. on Friday.  The man is still alive due to his fall being broken by a tree.  An ambulance from the Galeno clinic was quickly on the scene, and the man was rushed to the private Vilas Hospital in Ibiza Town. 

SAN JOSE

Fire Alarm
A fire in the Nereida Hotel in Port des Torrent at 3a.m. on Tuesday morning caused staff to evacuate the property.  The fire started in the kitchen of the hotel, and produced large quantities of smoke.  The alarm was immediately raised, and hotel staff quickly started to evacuate the almost two hundred guests in the hotel at the time.  Police were on the scene immediately to help staff put the fire out, which was done, before the fire crew arrived.  After a detailed search of the kitchen, the sleepy clients were let back into the hotel.          

Police Arrest
An Austrian woman was arrested in San Jose on Thursday after refusing to co-operate with officers and take a breath-test.  Police received an anonymous call that a woman, clearly in a very inebriated state, was trying to start her car at the San Jose petrol station.  Police were quickly on the scene after the caller revealed that there was a one-year old baby in the back seat.  Police questioned the woman, and on detecting a strong smell of alcohol, asked her to take a breath-test.  She refused and continued in her attempts to start the car.  Police eventually confiscated the keys, but in the struggle, the woman's dog, a medium-sized terrier, became agitated and bit one of the officers.  The driver was eventually arrested, and the baby was taken into temporary care.

Boat Fire
Bathers in Cala Porroig, Es Cubells, were witness to dramatic scenes on Thursday, as a speedboat caught fire and sank within ten minutes.  Bathers became aware of a problem, after they noticed a small quantity of black smoke rising from the boat.  The fire service was immediately called, and a plane was dispatched.  However, the fire soon took hold and within minutes the twelve metre vessel had started to sink.  By the time the plane arrived, there was only part of the boat still afloat.  Police continue to investigate the causes of the accident.

San Jose Claim
A third of all investigations being carried out by the newly set up environmental prosecution department, concern the municipality of San Jose.  Some of the most recent cases highlighted, include the remodelling of a house on ses Salinas, in which the former mayor's attitude towards the planning granted, was described as lenient.  The prosecution service continues to investigate the Cala Pinet complex in Cala de Bou, where four of the apartments face demolition.  The case of the Alba Carpenters is also under investigation, thanks to neighbours in the area who have re-initiated the official complaint that was first made over ten years ago.  Although the prosecution service has admitted a huge backlog of cases, sources claimed that they would be working their way through all of them.    

SANTA EULALIA

Centre Relocation
The Town Hall of Santa Eulalia has cancelled the tendering process for the new learning centre in Calle Mariano Riquer Wallis, because of the elevated cost in transforming the building.  The mayor of the municipality, Vicent Mari, explained that although the project was a good deal down the line, it would, in the end, prove too expensive.  Due to the amount of work which needed to be done, the costs had risen to just over 170,000 euros.  However, he went on to explain that there were now plans to build the centre in part of the public sports centre.  The relocation will mean much lower costs, as the centre will merely have to be fitted with the appropriate furniture, and no building work will need to take place. 
The centre will consist of three classrooms, all fully equipped to carry out a variety of courses which the Town Hall will offer, starting this winter. 

Roca Llisa Complaints
Neighbours in the Roca Llisa area have made an official complaint about the smell being produced on the golf course.  The course is watered using treated sewage, which can sometimes cause a strong smell.  However the administrator of the neighbourhood community, Jose Serrano, admitted that the main problem was caused by the water in the lakes on the course which had become stagnant.  This also caused an increased amount of mosquitoes in the area. 
Another of his problems has been the constant building work that has taken place over the last few years, especially during the summer.  According to urban legislation it is not legal to build during the busy tourist season.  However Serrano revealed that this law was clearly not being enforced in the area, and that tourists in the area were not able to relax.

Quarry Comments
The mayor of Santa Eulalia, Vicent Mari, has opened up the debate about the quarry in ses Planes after revealing that he is ready to make it legal.  The quarry is currently at the centre of a legal case, after being open for the last thirty years without the correct licences.  Mari said that he would do what was ordered by the courts, but revealed that he was ready to grant the necessary approval to the quarry as soon as they had obtained all the necessary legal permission. 
The quarry owners are currently waiting for noise levels to be tested, whereupon if they comply, they will be granted the first of the licences they need.        

Marina Promise
The mayor of Santa Eulalia, Vicent Mari, has confirmed that he will help to heavily promote the municipality's marina in order to maintain the high quality of tourist within the area.  He said that his party would support the marketing of the marina with added publicity, and by setting up websites.  The marina area has long been seen as the jewel of the municipality, but one that has been underplayed for far too long. 

FORMENTERA

New Consell
History was made on Tuesday, as the new Consell of Formetera was formed for the first time.  The new president, Jaume Ferrer, was visibly emotional as he made his inaugural speech.  First, he thanked everyone who had helped him gain power in the Consell, and continued by saying that he would govern for each and every one of the residents.  He reminded everyone that today was a special day - one in which Formentera finally gained its independence from Ibiza - although he was quick to point out that relations between the two islands would continue to be very close, and that they would still be very reliant on their larger neighbour. 
He urged the new president of the Govern Balear, Francesc Antich, to begin talks immediately about the financing of the new Consell, as nothing had so far been agreed and that very little could be done until the financing had been put in place. 
He confirmed that the road ahead would be a difficult one, but that the island had changed forever.  

Filming Location
Formentera received twenty-two official requests to film on the island in 2006.  Of those, one was denied for reasons not given by the Town Hall.  The island is a beautiful natural environment that is much sought after in spring and autumn.  The price for a photo-session in a public area on the island is just 150.50 euros per day, with filming 901.50 euros for the day.  However, most of the time, this special tax is waived, especially if the authorities believe that the island will benefit from the photo-shoot/film.  

Mopeds Incinerated
Fire raged through the Natural Park of Cavall d´en Borras on Thursday afternoon.  At the moment, investigators are unsure of how it started, but the blaze destroyed 2,000 square metres of land, eventually reaching the car-park where it destroyed twenty-three mopeds.  Fire crews were on the scene after receiving an emergency call shortly before 1.30p.m.  Within a few minutes they had the fire under control from the ground, although aerial assistance soon arrived.  The newly sworn-in president, Jaume Ferrer, was quickly on the scene to observe the work of the emergency services.  There was nobody injured, and the damage was limited to the mopeds.
However the incident did call into question the parking problem which affects the island during the summer months.  The mayor added that the fire was quickly under control, due to the easy access that the fire service had to the area.  However, he confirmed that if one day the fire was to take place in Illetes, then he would dread to contemplate the consequences.  Despite the many signs forbidding parking in these areas, it seems that in summer anything goes, and the access roads, especially to Illetes, are littered with poorly parked cars severely affecting access to the area.

Ferrer Trial
The trial into the death of the former mayor of Formentera, Ferrer Mari, ended on Friday.  The judge will now carefully consider all the evidence, before announcing his decision.  The ex-girlfriend of the mayor is accused of manslaughter after the victim suffered a brain haemorrhage, after receiving a blow to the head.  The prosecution is claiming that the defendant hit the victim several times which, the following morning, caused the haemorrhage.  The defendant is facing a four-year jail sentence if found guilty. 
The trial finally ended after the doctor who carried out the autopsy gave evidence, having previously not shown up at the original hearing.  However, he revealed that his findings were not conclusive, and that it was unclear how the injuries had been caused.  He did add that between 95-98 per cent of haemorrhages occur through accidental and innocuous blows to the head.  Sentencing is expected within the next few weeks.  

Man Loses Leg
A man had his leg severed in a road accident in Formentera, on Saturday.  The municipal worker was riding on the back of a refuse collection truck, when the accident occurred.  It appears that the truck failed to stop at a "give-way" sign, resulting in a collision with another car.  As a result of the accident, the injured man lost part of his leg, from the knee down.  An ambulance was quickly on the scene and the decision was immediately taken to transport the injured man to Ibiza.  He remains in intensive care in a serious condition.  

CRIME & INCIDENTS

Tourist Injured
A 24 year old man was rushed to hospital last weekend after he fell ten metres from a balcony.  The accident happened in the Cala de Bou area, at just after mid-day.  Police are unsure of what exactly happened, and continue investigating the causes of the accident.

Arrests Made
Two men of Arab descent were arrested last week in the Aguas Blancas area of Santa Eulalia, after a police search on their car uncovered five handbags, several wallets and watches, as well as a total of 900 euros.  The two men are well known to police on the island, and it was later revealed that they have been arrested a staggering 145 times between them.

NEWS FROM THE MAINLAND

Molas Advice
The new president of the Spanish Hotel Federation (CEHAT), Juan Molas, described the bomb threat in Ibiza two weeks ago as a "bad joke".  He said that he was worried by the situation, as simple telephone threats were relatively easy to make, and could cause huge disruptions.  However he said that the authorities here on the island handled the situation admirably and should be credited.  He spoke very briefly about the threat, explaining that he did not want to give the terrorists any more publicity.
He went on to say that the "sun and sea" tourism which Spain offered, could never compete economically with developing countries such as Turkey and Croatia.  He added that it would be suicide to even try.  He explained that Spanish resorts needed to concentrate on their strengths which include providing a safe destination, a first-world European health service and sanitation, and its close proximity to many other European countries.  He said that he was confident about the future for tourism in Spain, but warned against complacency.    

Airport Tax
Last year the Airport Authorities in Spain collected a whopping 1,166 million euros in airport tax.  The revelation came after the announcement that this year they would be spending 2,016 million euros in various airports around the country.  Ibiza is to receive 21 per cent less money than last year, to improve facilities.

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