The Ecological Boats are fast and versatile motor vessels designed and created to safeguard the Cinque Terre Protected Marine Area and its resources. In the last years they have been carrying out different tasks every day, such as cleaning, marine and coastal pollution monitoring, maintenance of the marine facilities, assistance and other services.
The Protected Marine Area owns the two Ecological Boats since 2004: BE12 (Battello Ecologico 1) and BE13 (Battello Ecologico 2) are aimed at providing an integrated service of environmental protection, in order to guarantee the safeguard and conservation of the Protected Marine Area's environmental and ecological features.
The service, carried out by qualified and specifically trained personnel of the PMA, is divided in different operations: collecting floating material, collecting beached objects, monitoring the coastal area, informing other boats in navigation, preventing violations of the environmental regulation, sea rescue, and often realising and providing maintenance of the PMA marine facilities. The on-board personnel form a crew of three people: the Skipper (Mr. Claudio Valerani or Mr. Francesco Franceschetti) and two bowmen-ecological collaborators.
In accordance to the existing conservation laws, and to the Provisional Regulation, the boats have been patrolling the coast and removing polluting materials every day, without causing disturbance or putting at risk the safety of the tourists and attenders of the PMA. One of the boats is equipped with a dinghy (a 2,5 mt rubber boat) powered with a 0,7 horsepower outboard electric motor, with plastic propeller: the dinghy can be used to carry out the activities mentioned above in the zones of total reserve (Zone A, where motor navigation is prohibited), and in the coastal bathing areas. The environmental cleaning up procedure starts from the identification of the floating polluting materials while they are removed, the materials will then be taken onboard, transferred to a specific area, and properly disposed of following the existing regulation. In particular, the Ecological Boats have been observing the ecologic environmental conditions (sea and coastal monitoring), in order to prevent any environmental violation, spilling of pollutants, refuse dumping, etc.
This service is supplied in agreement with the Coast Guard of La Spezia, in full transparency, and with the collaboration of citizens and visitors.
The Ecological Boats have been operating daily to patrol and safeguard the environment, along planned routes that take into account the surface currents, the trend movements and the accumulation spots of the polluting materials, as showed by former inspections. The Park's Administration activated two service phone numbers to receive reports from citizens, visitors, police and other agencies (Coast Guard, Carabinieri, Corps of forest rangers, Castalia Ecolmar, environmental associations etc.): both the crews can always be reached by phone calling the numbers published in the informative leaflets available in the National Park's and Protected Marine Area's reception offices. The Ecological Boats worked in other operations correlated to their main tasks, such as maintenance services of the PMA's facilities and other ecological and environmental projects in the Cinque Terre area. Moreover, the crews contributed to a direct information service, in order to make the boats that sail the Cinque Terre sea aware of the Provisional Regulation, and have also been guaranteeing the safe navigation through appropriate rescue operations.
All the Ecological Boats effluents (bilge waters), together with the waste products that might result from on-board works, will be properly disposed of by a qualified company; the documents regarding the unloadings are held by the Skippers of the units.
The Protected Marine Area owns the two Ecological Boats since 2004: BE12 (Battello Ecologico 1) and BE13 (Battello Ecologico 2) are aimed at providing an integrated service of environmental protection, in order to guarantee the safeguard and conservation of the Protected Marine Area's environmental and ecological features.
The service, carried out by qualified and specifically trained personnel of the PMA, is divided in different operations: collecting floating material, collecting beached objects, monitoring the coastal area, informing other boats in navigation, preventing violations of the environmental regulation, sea rescue, and often realising and providing maintenance of the PMA marine facilities. The on-board personnel form a crew of three people: the Skipper (Mr. Claudio Valerani or Mr. Francesco Franceschetti) and two bowmen-ecological collaborators.
In accordance to the existing conservation laws, and to the Provisional Regulation, the boats have been patrolling the coast and removing polluting materials every day, without causing disturbance or putting at risk the safety of the tourists and attenders of the PMA. One of the boats is equipped with a dinghy (a 2,5 mt rubber boat) powered with a 0,7 horsepower outboard electric motor, with plastic propeller: the dinghy can be used to carry out the activities mentioned above in the zones of total reserve (Zone A, where motor navigation is prohibited), and in the coastal bathing areas. The environmental cleaning up procedure starts from the identification of the floating polluting materials while they are removed, the materials will then be taken onboard, transferred to a specific area, and properly disposed of following the existing regulation. In particular, the Ecological Boats have been observing the ecologic environmental conditions (sea and coastal monitoring), in order to prevent any environmental violation, spilling of pollutants, refuse dumping, etc.
This service is supplied in agreement with the Coast Guard of La Spezia, in full transparency, and with the collaboration of citizens and visitors.
The Ecological Boats have been operating daily to patrol and safeguard the environment, along planned routes that take into account the surface currents, the trend movements and the accumulation spots of the polluting materials, as showed by former inspections. The Park's Administration activated two service phone numbers to receive reports from citizens, visitors, police and other agencies (Coast Guard, Carabinieri, Corps of forest rangers, Castalia Ecolmar, environmental associations etc.): both the crews can always be reached by phone calling the numbers published in the informative leaflets available in the National Park's and Protected Marine Area's reception offices. The Ecological Boats worked in other operations correlated to their main tasks, such as maintenance services of the PMA's facilities and other ecological and environmental projects in the Cinque Terre area. Moreover, the crews contributed to a direct information service, in order to make the boats that sail the Cinque Terre sea aware of the Provisional Regulation, and have also been guaranteeing the safe navigation through appropriate rescue operations.
All the Ecological Boats effluents (bilge waters), together with the waste products that might result from on-board works, will be properly disposed of by a qualified company; the documents regarding the unloadings are held by the Skippers of the units.
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