Catania, Rossi port in the crosshairs: removal of wrecks, safety, and controversies over funding

The controversy over Porto Rossi continues. This weekend, the Committee of Boaters, owners of the boats that suffered the consequences of the storm surges caused by cyclone Harry, returned to the field. The boaters believe it is "necessary to clarify some fundamental aspects that risk being misunderstood by public opinion."

"The public resources being discussed - they say - are not intended for the reconstruction of the port nor to favor private interests. The funds are exclusively for the safety of the area and the removal of wrecks present in the water, interventions that are essential for environmental reasons, navigation safety, and land protection. For two months, in fact, the water area has been affected by the presence of wrecks and sunken boats that pose a potential environmental risk and a danger to navigation."

"This position - it further states - has been publicly expressed by the Committee of Boaters already in the days following cyclone Harry. In a previous statement published in La Sicilia (on February 10, 2026) titled "After Harry, we must not forget us owners of destroyed boats", it was highlighted how over a hundred boaters had gathered in a committee simply asking for minimum safeguarding measures and a clear path for the recovery of destroyed boats. In the following days, the Committee of Boaters sent numerous formal reports and certified emails to the competent authorities, requesting that a situation of evident degradation be addressed and resolved. With acts of looting on the boats stranded on the rocks and related arrests by Polfer. Thanks to this constant work of institutional dialogue, we have finally reached the planning of recovery and safety interventions. This is therefore a public interest operation, necessary to restore safety, legality, and decorum to an area that belongs to the community.

"Representing these interventions as a "waste of money for private individuals" - concludes the Committee - is not only misleading, but risks fueling a narrative that does not correspond to the reality of the facts. "The removal of wrecks and the reclamation of the area is a duty of the institutions when there are environmental and safety risks, regardless of the private ownership of the vessels involved (protected by Article 42 of the Italian Constitution and the Navigation Code)." And, in this regard, it reiterates the "full willingness to collaborate with all institutions so that the planned interventions can be carried out as soon as possible, in the interest not only of the rights of boaters but of the entire community."

On the matter, however, Sinistra Italiana also expresses itself again through a new note signed by provincial secretary Giolì Vindigni and city secretary Marcello Failla, who remind that Harry caused the destruction "of promenades, sinkholes, damage to utilities (Enel, water, sewage), railway blockages, damage to the Sicilian agricultural sector estimated at over 700 million euros. Greenhouses, olive groves, and citrus groves damaged or destroyed. To repair the serious damage caused by the cyclone to the property and productive activities of Sicilians, at least 2 billion euros will be needed, to be spent immediately on interventions that cannot wait for the ordinary times, years or decades, to which the Region of Sicily has accustomed us."

"A few days ago - they continue - the Schifani government allocated three million euros, a figure that is completely insufficient to compensate the fishing companies affected by cyclone Harry, and a Sicily Fund was also established to respond to economic operators and families, for a total of 33.2 million: just 1.5% of what is needed."

Italian Left now stigmatizes the initiative of the Region, which has started works to secure Porto Rossi for a total amount of 776 thousand euros: "Porto Rossi - is the consideration - certainly deserves support and repair of the damage caused by the cyclone, but just like thousands of Sicilians, perhaps less fortunate and less considered by our regional government. It is also surprising that the municipality of Catania is completely unaware of the nature of the works, in one of the most valuable areas of the city. Porto Rossi will be restored in 150 days: how many years will the other ports, the fishermen who lost their boats, the farmers, the other businesses and the citizens who lost everything due to the cyclone have to wait?".