High-speed boat found abandoned on Vila do Bispo beach

An abandoned high-speed boat has been seized at Praia do Telheiro, in the Algarve municipality of Vila do Bispo.

Maritime police were alerted at around 12.15pm on Thursday (October 15) by a member of the public who reported an abandoned vessel on the beach, according to a statement from the National Maritime Authority (AMN).

Officers from the Lagos Maritime Police and Lagos Harbour Master’s Office were immediately sent to the scene, alongside crew from the Sagres Lifeboat Station.

On arrival, Maritime Police confirmed the presence of the high-speed vessel – known by Portuguese authorities as an Embarcação de Alta Velocidade (EAV) – on the sand.

The boat was subsequently towed by sea to Lagos Marina by the Sagres lifeboat crew.

The Maritime Police’s Central Criminal Investigation Unit carried out investigative procedures in connection with the discovery, while the Lagos Maritime Police Command took charge of the incident.

No arrests, drugs or fuel were reported in connection with the seizure, despite the growing number of cases being reported along the Portuguese coast, particularly in the Algarve.