More and More Vessels Stranded on Lake Balaton

Unregulated storage of small boats on Lake Balaton is leading to more and more conflicts; Gábor Lombár, the president of the Balaton Association of local authorities wants to see a change in the law.

The president pointed out that according to the Central Transdanubian Water Management Directorate (KDTVÍZIG), the Lake Balaton basin manager, 32 underwater obstruction clearance operations had to be carried out in 2022, and the number of cases is steadily rising. Objects – concrete blocks, cable drums, pipes – that are thrown into the open water moorings and left in an irregular way are invisible and pose a danger.

He also described the problem of vessels sometimes blocking the traffic in ports by mooring at random. “The police have difficulty in finding the owners of these vessels and of objects used as buoys thrown into the water, and the penalties for infringements are not dissuasive," he said.

Since the experts of the Ministry of Technology and Industry did not support a change in the legislation on the matter, KDTVÍZIG proposed the designation of mooring sites to the lake municipalities, which would create the possibility of registration and thus regulation, he added.

However, the Balaton Association unanimously rejected this solution, asking the representatives of the water authority to again initiate a legislative amendment that would make the berthed small boats and sailing boats on Lake Balaton manageable and controllable.

The designated official berths would in fact be a low-cost port, a loophole solution, creating new business opportunities for some, Gábor Lombár said. While the strict requirements mean that marinas can only be built with state support, no such conditions would be imposed on the so-called berthed storage, he added.

The mayors also pointed out that the users of moored boats burden the coastal infrastructure with their parking, litter, sometimes damage the reed beds and can also be problematic in terms of hygiene. Many want to avoid paying expensive port fees, but shipping is not a social issue, Gábor Lombár added.