Boat accident: Pershing 54 crashes onto the beach on the tourist island of s'Espalmador

A motor yacht crashed onto the beach off es Racó de s'Alga on the island of s'Espalmador at around 10.30pm on Saturday. The 18-metre Pershing 54 boat got stuck on a dune after crossing a rocky area, with its bow in the air and wedged in the sandy strip on the shore of the island between Ibiza and Formentera.

Coastguard was alerted - crew of the Pershing unharmed

During the night, the coastguard received a distress call from a boat named "H20" that had run aground. According to protocol, the coastguard mobilised the rescue boat "Salvamar Crux" and the helicopter "Helimer". They also informed other boats in the vicinity by radio to obtain further information about the incident. "H20" did not have a dinghy to go ashore. Fortunately, another boat called "Zimit" rushed to help: the skipper travelled to the scene of the accident and found the two crew members of the Pershing "Sophia 1" there, as the coastguard reported to the Diario de Ibiza. As no one was injured, the coastguard withdrew the helicopter from the mission.

The skipper of the boat "Zimit" found the two crew members of the motor yacht "Sophia 1" at the scene of the accident. As no one was injured, the helicopter was withdrawn by the coastguard. At 11.45 pm, the lifeboat reached the bay of s'Espalmador, where the crew members spoke to a dinghy and assured them that they had already contacted a company to recover their boat.

Experts suspect that the captain of the motor yacht that was involved in the accident may have changed direction and collided as a result. Some say that s'Espalmador is difficult to recognise at night.

Deadline of 48 hours to remove potentially harmful materials from Pershing 54

Formentera Council has given the owner of the ship stranded on s'Espalmador 48 hours to decontaminate the vessel and remove all potentially harmful materials. This is reported by the Spanish media La Voz de Ibiza. For safety reasons, the zone is now being marked to prevent accidents on land with visitors. The harbour authority is coordinating measures with the ship's owner and captain to ensure a quick recovery. Within 48 hours, the batteries, fuel and other contaminated materials must be removed, while a plan to salvage the ship must be submitted within 72 hours. The main objective is to minimise the environmental impact and ensure safety in the affected zone.

Popular excursion destination: S'Espalmador

S'Espalmador is part of the ses Salines Nature Park and is therefore a protected area. Several dozen boats anchor at ecological mooring points along this stretch of coast every day. Although only in the island's bay, which is managed by a private company that won the tender from the relevant department of the Balearic Islands government.

On this Saturday morning before 10 a.m., eleven boats are already at anchor, according to the website Localizatodo.com. Some of these boats are private, owned by residents of Ibiza or Formentera or by tourists, but most are chartered.

Not the first time that ships have landed on the beach

In 2016, it caught fire due to a flare fired from the boat. Other boat accidents in this area are not very common, but at the end of August 2021, a 13-metre-long boat with two crew members ran aground on the island of sa Torreta, which lies next to s'Espalmador.

The boat hit the rocks, but fortunately slid over the island. The two passengers were evacuated and rescued by another boat nearby until the "Salvamar Acrux" rescued them unharmed.

Two serious injuries, including one minor, and a further 23 minor injuries were the preliminary results of a serious accident in the summer of 2021 near the harbour entrance to Ibiza, when the ferry "San Gwann" operated by the shipping company FRS collided with the island of Es Malvins with 35 passengers and twelve crew members on board.

In 2016, the boat "Joven Antonia II" from the Aquabus shipping company, which served the route between Platja d'en Bossa and Formentera, ran aground on the island of sa Torreta with seven passengers and five crew members, without anyone being injured.

In 2012, the fast ferry "Maverick dos", which travelled between Ibiza and Formentera, ran aground on the rocks of the island of sa Torreta next to s'Espalmador. The Baleària ship had only 27 people on board, 21 passengers and six crew members.

In 2010, a Baleària ferry travelling between the Pitiusas collided with the island of Castaví while on its way from Ibiza to La Savina. Twelve passengers and five crew members were rescued when the ship ran aground on a sandbank in es Pas between Formentera and the island of s'Espalmador.