The wreck that does not end: work continues to remove the Helisara from ses Illetes

The Consell Insular de Formentera continues with the removal of the remains of the boat Helisara, which ran aground and was destroyed after a storm on the beach of ses Illetes, within the Natural Park of ses Salines, one of the most protected environmental areas of the island.

The action is now focused on the extraction of the larger pieces that remained in the terrestrial area of the coast. For this, the Environment Area has hired a specialized company with specific technical means for the lifting and transfer of large fragments from the sea. The maneuvers are carried out from a boat equipped for this work.

So far, two of the most voluminous remains of the ship have been removed. However, the work has been temporarily interrupted due to bad weather, which has prevented the completion of the removal of a third piece planned at this stage. The Consell plans to resume the work as soon as the weather conditions improve.

• “It was a costly and complex process”: the Consell’s justification for not having withdrawn the Helisara before the storm.

This operation complements the initial intervention carried out at the beginning of the month after the storm. Then, a team from the company Prezero removed the debris scattered on the sand and the sheet of water to prevent its return to the sea and its environmental impact. In total, 2,840 kilos of materials were recovered.

The Councilor for the Environment, Verónica Castelló, pointed out that the priority is to “secure the area and continue with the extraction of the most voluminous remains”, and added that after this phase the seabed will be inspected to eliminate the pieces still submerged that could cause damage to the ecosystems.

The extracted remains are transferred to the port of La Savina and, by means of a crane truck, are removed from the water. Subsequently, the company Ca Na Negreta carries out the classification, treatment and decontamination of the materials to ensure proper environmental management.

• The owner of Helisara is identified and notified but does not answer for his historic yacht that ran aground 250 days ago.

The Consell recalled that from the first moment it demanded that the owner of the boat comply with its legal obligation to remove it from the stranding point. In the absence of action by the owners, the administration has intervened in a subsidiary manner to prevent damage to one of the most fragile natural enclaves of Formentera.

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