ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

The bill for the pateras: how much does it cost the Government to remove the boats?

Ports IB has managed during the year 2025 the removal of a total of 53 boats arriving at the ports of the autonomous community.
04/01/2026 PortsIB coordina la retirada de 53 pateras llegadas a los puertos que gestiona durante 2025. Ports de les Illes Balears (PortsIB) ha coordinado la retirada de 53 pateras llegadas a los puertos que gestiona durante 2025. POLITICA CAIB

Ports de les Illes Balears (PortsIB) has coordinated the removal of 53 boats arriving at the ports it manages during 2025.

In a press release, the Conselleria del Mar y del Ciclo del Agua, on which Ports IB depends, has informed that this entity has managed during the year 2025 the withdrawal of a total of 53 boats arriving at different ports of the archipelago.

These actions are part of the regular device that PortsIB maintains active to ensure the safety, cleanliness and proper functioning of port facilities, as well as proper management of abandoned vessels, according to environmental and safety criteria.

The average cost per skiff, associated with transport from the port, scrapping, cleaning and decontamination of the affected areas, was 616 euros this year, a figure in line with that of recent years.

2025 has been particularly significant in general terms. According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, 7,321 people arrived in the Balearic Islands aboard 401 small boats, which represented an increase of 24.5% over 2024 and consolidated 2025 as the year with the highest number of arrivals recorded to date in the archipelago, both in number of people and boats.

The trend of arrivals has continued at the beginning of 2026. In the first four days of the year, seven pateras have already been registered with a total of 147 people, with arrivals in Formentera, Cabrera and Mallorca.

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Since 2020, PortsIB has managed the removal of 324 boats in the ports of the autonomous community. Overall, the cost assumed by PortsIB to cope with the management of these vessels since 2020 amounts to 199,680 euros.

The analysis of the period 2020-2025 shows a significant concentration of arrivals in certain points of the coast and at specific times of the year. Colònia de Sant Jordi is the port with the highest number of boats withdrawn, with 120 boats, followed by Cabrera, with 106, and Portocolom, with 69 arrivals. Other ports such as Cala Figuera (8), Sant Antoni de Ibiza (6) and Portopetro (3) present lower figures, while the rest of the facilities register punctual values.

As for the monthly distribution, the data show a clearly seasonal pattern, with a higher incidence during the autumn months. October is the month with the highest number of boats withdrawn (46), followed by November (37) and September (34).

High values were also recorded during the summer, especially in August (39) and July (30), while March (5), May (11) and April (16) were the lowest months.

As part of its commitment to sustainability and the responsible use of resources, PortsIB also maintains the line of transfer of recovered boats and engines to training centers in the maritime sector of the Balearic Islands, with the aim of facilitating the practical training of students and giving a second life to some of the recovered material when the technical conditions allow it.

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Automatic Translation Notice: This text has been automatically translated from Spanish. It may contain inaccuracies or misinterpretations. We appreciate your understanding and invite you to consult the original version for greater accuracy.

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