Humphrey CarterPalma06/08/2019 10:42
TW
4

State ports, such as Palma, are in the hands of Madrid but the Balearic government has got to get a grip on the cruise industry.

On Sunday, I was in, still very quiet Illetas and from where my friends and I were sitting we watched in amazement as huge plumes of thick black smoke were being pumped up into the skies above the capital by cruise ships in port.

As the crow flies, I estimated we were about ten miles away and the beautiful clear blues skies over Palma were being polluted by the cruise ships.

I know the Balearic government, with mounting support of the local population, especially those who live and work in Palma, want to introduce tough controls on the number of cruise ships and passengers in port at any one time, but Madrid, which is where the vast majority of the profit from the cruise industry ends up, not Palma, has the final say.
Bordeaux, for example, as I learnt on Sunday, is to ban all non-electric powered cruise ships within the next two years.

While Bordeaux does not handle the mega liners which visit Palma, it does have a lot of cruise traffic and, just like Palma, the local authorities and residents have had enough and action has been taken.

And, with Mediterranean cruise holidays becoming constantly cheaper, I am sure Majorca could survive without them.