Several cruise ships moored at Palma's port. | ARCHIVO

TW
11

Over 10,000 signatures have been gathered for a petition calling for limits on cruise ships and cruise passengers in Palma.

The petition is the initiative of various residents associations and pressure groups. It has been led by the Palma XXI organisation and has received the backing of some notable celebrities in Majorca, e.g. the singer Maria del Mar Bonet. It is to be presented at the Balearic government's Consolat de Mar headquarters on Monday. Palma XXI say that they will be seeking meetings with the government in order to explain the public mood regarding cruise ships.

The main demand is that there be a maximum of 4,000 passengers who leave ships and go into Palma on any given day. A limit of one ship per day is also being sought. A further demand has to do with pollution control.

This, as well as the call for limiting numbers, is aimed at the Balearic Ports Authority, the state entity that has responsibility for the port. The Spanish government announced earlier this week that it wants to use drones with sensors for checking on cruise-ship sulphur levels.