Unmarked Beaches

Risk for Swimmers and Boats

Formentera, 26 May 2026

With June just around the corner and the tourist season already underway, many of Formentera’s beaches still remain without the buoy-marking system installed along large sections of the coastline as of May 26. The situation is causing growing concern among both residents and beachgoers, as swimming areas continue to lack clear separation from maritime traffic.

The delay is not due to any technical or weather-related issue, but rather to an administrative deadlock caused by appeals filed by one of the companies that took part in the public tender for the service contract. The dispute has halted the formalization of the contract, even though the buoy-marking system should have been operational since May 1.

Meanwhile, recreational boats, jet skis, and swimmers are sharing the same spaces without the usual separation that every summer defines the safety boundaries along the island’s coastline. The absence of buoys and marked channels significantly increases the risk of incidents.

In response to the situation, the Consell de Formentera has intensified its legal offensive against the company behind the appeals and requested that the Central Administrative Court for Contractual Appeals act urgently to unblock the procedure and allow the immediate installation of the buoy-marking system.

“Obstructionist” conduct

The origin of the conflict lies in the two appeals filed by one of the bidding companies against the awarding of the buoy-marking contract. During an extraordinary Government Board meeting held on April 29, the Consell’s governing team approved a request for the Central Administrative Court for Contractual Appeals to impose a financial penalty on the company, arguing that it had acted with “recklessness and procedural bad faith.”

According to the island institution, the second appeal essentially repeated the same arguments as the first and was intended solely to delay the final awarding of a service considered essential for the island’s maritime and tourism safety.
The Consell also argued that this administrative maneuver had direct consequences for the public interest, particularly because it prevented the buoy-marking system from being installed within the scheduled timeframe.

Since May 1

In its report, the institution recalled that the contract stipulated the buoy-marking system should have been fully operational from May 1, coinciding with the start of the high season.
However, the automatic suspension resulting from the appeals froze the formalization of the contract with the winning company, leaving the beaches without the necessary infrastructure to regulate maritime traffic.

Every summer, the buoy-marking system plays a fundamental role: separating swimming areas from navigation zones, defining access channels for boats, and ensuring safe coexistence between bathers and nautical activities. The absence of these markers during a sharp increase in visitor numbers has heightened concerns over possible accidents at sea.

Scoring of a technical criterion

The appealing company specifically challenged the score it received in one of the technical sections of the tender process. The Contracting Board awarded it zero points in the criterion related to the project timeline and service monitoring plan.
The Consell argued that the company failed to properly include the required operational channels for incidents, emergencies, or repairs linked to the contract. The company maintained that this information was included in the submitted documentation, although the island administration considered that only administrative contact details had been provided, rather than an operational system adapted to the real needs of the service.

This technical disagreement ultimately escalated into a legal dispute and directly affected the launch of a key service for coastal safety.

Imminent danger to safety

One of the strongest points in the report submitted to the Court was the warning about the risk posed by leaving beaches without buoy markings for weeks. The Consell even referred to an “imminent danger to human life” resulting from the absence of boundary buoys.
The island administration insists that the general public interest must prevail over the economic interests of the appealing company and requested not only the dismissal of the appeal, but also the imposition of a financial penalty that could range from €1,000 to €30,000.

As of May 26, the situation remains unresolved, and Formentera continues to face one of the most delicate starts to the tourist season in recent years regarding coastal safety.