Ecologistas en Acción, GEN-GOB, Greenpeace and WWF are against the decision of the Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs. They want to leave the ship Don Pedro sunken. The initiative was adopted this morning during a meeting of the Technical Commission for Analysis and Study of the accident, which happened on July 11th, 2007, off the port of Ibiza. Although most of the guests from the environmental groups were present at the previous meeting, this time they were not invited to this meeting.
In addition, guidelines have been given today to the government of the Balearic Islands and to the Consell Insular d'Eivissa during the meeting. These guidelines dealt with how to explain before the public opinion the decision to leave the shipwreck on the sea bed. Between ten and fifteen thousand litres of fuel and other pollutant materials remain inside the ship. It means that if the ship is left sunken, it will be a constant pollution source for the Ses Salines National Park. The environmental organizations believe that it is essential to bring the ship to the surface. They also want to make sure that the ship is recycled with environmental guarantees.
Previously, the Department had assured that the decision on future of Don Pedro would not be subject to economic factors, but it would be taken by finding the best solutions which assure the health of the citizens, the marine security and the conservation of the marine ecosystems.
Nowadays, the ship Iscomar has paid nothing towards the cleaning and decontamination of the accident. Furthermore, due to the decision taken by the Department, it seems that neither the shipping company, nor the insurance company would have to pay the costs of the ship's extraction. The environmental organizations believe it is important to surface the wrecked ship from the seabed and avoid considering seas as rubbish tips, particularly in protected spaces.
The marine environment of Ibiza stands out, due to the environmental values in the Mediterranean and particularly, due to the excellent quality of its ecosystems together with the ecosystems of the Island of Formentera. For this reason, the Ses Salines National Park has been classified by the EU as Site of Community Importance. It has the presence of endangered common bottlenose dolphins, loggerhead sea turtles, Balearic shear water and sea grass amongst other things.
