- Maritime traffic will be restricted in the area affected by the regattas, which will take place in the waters of Vilanova i la Geltrú between 14 and 17 September, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- The objective is to ensure that these preliminary tests to the Copa America, declared an event of exceptional public interest, are carried out with total security.
Madrid, September 13, 2023 (Mitma) - The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma), through the Barcelona Maritime Captaincy of the Directorate General of the Merchant Navy (DGMM), has issued a resolution to establish the security measures to be followed during the Preliminary Race of the Copa America, which will be held in the waters of Vilanova i la Geltrú between September 14 and 17.
With the participation of six teams, this is the first preliminary race for the preparation of the Copa America, declared as an event of exceptional public interest that will take place in Barcelona in 2024.
The resolution issued by the Maritime Captaincy establishes restrictions and imposes conditions of maritime navigation and use of maritime area in an area that extends over 4 x 4 nautical miles (about 10 square kilometers) southwest of the mouth of the Port of Vilanova i la Geltrú. It also affects a strip of 300 meters between the restriction zone and the mouth.
Inside this area, the ‘Race Box’ or circuit itself will be established daily. It will oscillate according to the wind and will have an extension of 2 miles by half a nautical mile, delimited by robotic buoys that are positioned without the need for mooring. This area will be
Exclusive use for boats participating in the regatta and the organization, as well as emergency and rescue boats.
On the other hand, in the restricted area, boats with spectators may remain during the celebration, which will be forbidden to anchor. All boats sailing in this area during the days of the regatta will not be able to exceed 6 knots of speed from the
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Also in the restricted area there will be a security boat, called OWOC (On Water Operations Center), which will monitor any type of maritime security incident, order or protection threats that may occur during the tests, with the presence of the Maritime Captaincy, Maritime Rescue, the Civil Guard and members of the organization.
On the ground, a Security Coordination Center (CECOR) will be operational in case the emergency level requires greater intervention by the different security teams and to coordinate incidents or emergencies related to the event in the port and beach areas.
The Barcelona Maritime Captaincy has worked intensively with all the agents involved in the event to ensure that the celebration of the regattas does not lose the expected attraction, but they are carried out with all the security measures.