arona boat mooring las vistas beach crisis

Arona demands action over ‘unsustainable’ boat mooring chaos at Las Vistas beach

Boat overcrowding at Las Vistas beach reaches ‘unsustainable’ levels

Arona Council has reported a massive concentration of anchored boats off Las Vistas beach in Los Cristianos, a recurring situation that on certain days reaches levels of occupation that affect the bathing area, the appearance of the coastline and the perception of the tourist destination. This Tuesday, the mayor, Fátima Lemes, lamented that the town has been suffering from this situation for several years: “It is unsustainable. We cannot normalise a scenario that affects one of the most emblematic spaces in the municipality, key for both residents and visitors. We need the support of the competent authorities to act effectively and bring order,” she added.

Citizen complaints and growing concern

The council explained that it has received new communications from citizens in recent hours, accompanied by images, alerting to the state of saturation of the anchorage in front of the beach. According to these reports, concern is not limited to the visual impact but extends to safety, hygiene and environmental protection on a beach that is used intensively. “From Arona Council we are not going to look the other way in the face of a situation that increasingly worries residents, users of our beaches and the tourism sector. The indiscriminate accumulation of boats in front of Las Vistas beach demands immediate and coordinated action from all the competent administrations,” warned the first deputy mayor and councillor for the Environment and Public Services, Clari Pérez.

Council demands action from maritime and port authorities

The council recalled that the regulation, authorisation, surveillance and control of moorings in maritime waters – and, where applicable, port waters – is not a municipal responsibility. However, it stressed that it does have the institutional duty to defend the general interests of Arona, protect the safety of beach users and demand an effective response to a problem that “cannot become structural”. Consequently, the council has decided to bring the facts to the attention of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Maritime Captaincy, the Directorate General of Coasts and Management of the Canary Islands Maritime Space, the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the Provincial Maritime Service of the Civil Guard, requesting that they take action.

Measures proposed to control the situation

The council is requesting that, within their respective areas of competence, measures be adopted to control mooring in front of Las Vistas, especially in areas close to the bathing zone. This includes the clear delimitation of authorised mooring areas, effective control of safety distances and buoys, reinforced surveillance of the water surface on days of greater pressure, periodic inspections, identification of vessels anchored for prolonged periods where appropriate, and the opening of sanctioning proceedings for breaches of safety, navigation or environmental protection regulations. “It is not a question of pointing the finger at recreational boating or generalising about boat users,” the council stressed, “but of ordering a reality which, due to its volume, recurrence and potential impact, demands a proportionate, coordinated and effective response in defence of the general interest.”

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