Dear John,
A question recently asked by many of our clients is: "If my vessel is in the water or on the hard at Boat Yard Palma or Varadero, who is allowed to perform repairs on board?"
The answer is simple: There is no obligation to use the services of any particular person or company, with the proviso that the person or company is accredited by the ports authority.
This accreditation entails, amongst other requirements :
Public liability insurance to protect the vessel owner in the event of an accident; all staff used must be legally employed & insured by the company, and the payment of an annual fee for the company as well as for each vehicle (also duly insured & registered) requiring entry to the port. It is,of course, not a guarantee of quality of workmanship.
According to Sr. Eugenio of the controlling body, the Palma Ports Authority, the Boat Yard Palma / Varadero area is for the use of any vessel wishing to use it. Concessions have been granted to companies for the hauling of vessels and dry storage. These companies have a contractual obligation with the Port Authorities to supply the travel lift service and moorings allocations, but this is not linked in any way to work performed on the vessel. The aim of the Ports Authority is to promote free and fair competition in order to provide the widest choice of repair companies for the captain and owner, and any accredited person or company may perform these services on any vessel requiring them. He believes that this freedom of choice helps customer satisfaction and boosts the reputation of Palma as a good choice for repairs and refits.
Lincoln Berrange, Palma Engineering
Ed’s note: I am led to believe (from an unofficial source) that the port authority are currently finalising the new ‘concession’ for the ‘Boat Yard Palma’ area in the Moll Vell which will have more stringent control over what the new concession will and will not allow.
John
Below’s comment is concerning the quarry accident at Establiments, it is serious comment and I do hope you find space to print it, I intend to send this in English and Spanish etc to all newspapers and other parties.
Quarry Accident in Establiments
I sadly read the article concerning the accident in the quarry, which appears to have very nearly cost the life of nearby residents and caused damage to property at the same time.
What a shame that Spanish and Island beaurocracy is alive and well.
We as a company have a product which we introduced to Spain almost two years ago. A product which is classified by the United Nations (of which Spain seems to be a part of ), it is a British product, was designed in 1993, it is approved in Britain by the Health and Safety Council. It is used by Quarries and construction
companies around the World and has never ever caused an accident, there are no recorded accidents using this product.
However, we being naive and British, investigated the possibility of introducing this product to Spain before we left Britain and were informed by authorities that if it was approved in Britain then it would also be accepted in Spain because we are members of the EEC.
Well how wrong can we have been, Spain is Spain as I have learned to my severe financial cost and whilst this product is approved in many countries around the World it makes not the slightest jot of difference to Spain. They need to analyse and test it themselves in order to approve this Hi Tec product. So they did and approved it, there is no competition there is no other product like it in Spain; it will break rock under a house; it will break rock next to a house, it will remove large volumes of rock in a quarry (we know this as we did tests in Mallorca to the Madrid inspectors whose mouths dropped open when they saw how quiet it was and the main feature it does not send rock flying 200 meters like explosives.
We even had a member of the Guardia Civil explosives department inspect the test and he was also amazed. Good we thought all are happy and low and behold the
product was duly approved. Although it took them a year!!
However we have now been informed that in order to use this product I being the owner of the company must sit an exam in Spain and take an explosives course in order to use this product. When we pointed out that this product is not classified as an Explosive in Spain or anywhere this side of the Moon I was informed that I would still have to go on a course to be trained how to use it, even after showing my EEC approved training certificates going back some 10 years from Britain and Northern Ireland.
So Mr Bureaucrat now wants me to be trained by a Spanish instructor and take an exam, on my product. One very relevant question, how does the instructor
train me to use this product when the instructor does not know how to use it himself after all by their own admissions I am the only person in Spain
trained to use this?. After all the Government inspectors from Madrid watched me test this product in a quarry in Mallorca and they were happy with the whole day’s tests.
So I guess there must possibly be another agenda here??
So I really need to train the instructor on how to use this product so he can then train me!
Ahhh, bureaucracy is alive and well in Spain!
How nearly did that lady come to losing here life in Establiments because I can not go and introduce this product to the quarry because of the above?
What will it take, a death, for someone to get their act together and come into the 21st century?
A translation of this letter is being Faxed to all the Spanish Government people we have had to deal with over the last two years.
I have passed the point of boiling many months ago, I can only laugh now at the sheer ineptitude in embracing new technology proved all round the world
to be safe, effective and environmentally friendly whilst putting the general public’s lives at risk by allowing the use of high explosives.
Our
product cannot even be used by Terrorists, I know this as I introduced it to Northern Ireland and the Police and authorities there love it because it is no risk.
Will this product ever be introduced into Spain? I very much doubt it, so please residents of Spain carry on putting your lives at risk when explosives are used, enjoy the incessant noise of the Rock Hammer near where you live or holiday because we can also do away with these items of noise and dirt nuisance.
David Brown, Managing Director, Nonex Espana SL
Hi John,
I would like to let you know the carefully prepared internet scam I came across, so maybe you could pass the message on - sellers beware.
I have had a vehicle for sale on the internet for some time - photo of the vehicle, details and email address. Then one day, an email from a Posina Johnson asking if it was still available, because if it was, he wished to purchase once his telecomunications contract was completed in Africa. Steadily we communicated, about once a week for three months until the plan was that he would send a bank cheque from a branch of his American bank in London. A cheque duly arrived for the purchase price and an additional 3000 dollars more. My bank asked if I wished for the funds to be credited into my account. At this stage I thought, come on, where´s the sting? It doesn´t happen like this, told the bank not to credit my account and paid to send the cheque back to be authenticated.
Next day Mr. Johnson sends an email masterpiece explaining that he needed the 3000 dollars back into his account in London to pay his mortgage or he would lose his house, his kids would be on the street, sorry about the terrible mixup..... n´all.
Of course, two weeks later it was confirmed that the cheque was nothing but a very good forgery. Mr. Johnson or his like will be mailing out many other bouncing checques so all you internet sellers watch out - if the deal seems too good to be true.............it usually is.
John Walker