Sunken Boat Recovered in Puerto Portals: Volunteers haul seven-meter-long wreck from the water

Large cleanup operation in Puerto Portals yields surprising find

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Early Sunday morning around 08:30, there was a buzz at the Puerto Portals yacht harbor. Not because of a reggae festival or a ship christening, but because around 80 volunteers, harbor workers and firefighters came together to clean the water. While lifting nets and plastic bags, the group stumbled upon something that even seasoned harbor workers swallowed: an almost complete boat, about seven meters long.

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The wreck was heavily covered with seaweed and oil; the hull showed clear signs of long-standing exposure to salt and mud. Using a crane from the port authority, the 2.6-ton boat was pulled out piece by piece and loaded onto a flatbed truck. "The thing lay so deep in the mud that at first you thought it was just a pile of junk," said an older fisherman who has worked at the mole for thirty years. His hands still smelled of diesel and coffee.

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More than three tons of trash collected

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In total, the operation yielded over three tons of waste: tires, plastic nets, empty cans, a kick scooter, and the sunken boat, among the largest finds. Just after 11 a.m., the bags stood neatly by the quay, ready for disposal. The organizers stressed how important such cleanups are, not only because of visible litter but also because of invisible damage to marine life.

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The weather cooperated: mild air, light wind and a sun that made the harbor basin glitter silver. Residents and passersby stopped, filmed with their phones, exchanged anecdotes about past storms, and praised the volunteers. Children especially enjoyed helping sort old plastic bottles — small hands, big motivation.

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What happens next? The recovered boat will now be checked by the municipal authorities: is it just junk or does it have owner's information? Meanwhile, disposal of the remaining materials proceeds through the municipal waste processing system. The harbor management announced that such cleanup actions will be planned more regularly in the future and local clubs will be more involved.

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A sunny morning, a lot of work — and the reassuring feeling that in a small corner of the island someone has cleaned up. Not a dramatic Hollywood moment, but an entire harbor that puts a notch back in the history of the sea.