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The Mercadal Town Council, in collaboration with the APB, inaugurates the exhibition "Fareras. The light that guides us" at Cavalleria lighthouse

Mercadal Town Hall, in collaboration with the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB), opens next Friday 6th June at 7 p.m. at the Cap de Cavalleria Interpretation Centre the exhibition "Fareras. The light that guides us", an emotive exhibition curated by the film-maker Cristina Rodríguez Paz, which can be visited until 7 September 2025.

This installation is presented to the public as part of the activities organised by the APB on the occasion of the first Open Doors Day of the port of Mahón, which was created with the aim of familiarising the general public with the port and to emphasise the social, economic and cultural importance of ports of general interest and maritime signals for the island of Menorca.

The place chosen for the exhibition is Cavalleria lighthouse, where Mercadal Town Council has had a collaboration agreement with the APB since 2015 to allocate part of the lighthouse space for educational and cultural purposes where visitors can learn about several aspects of this spectacular setting in the north of Menorca.

Women lighthouse keepers

The exhibition, which was already on display last year at the Maritime Museum of Mallorca's headquarters in Sóller, pays tribute to the 26 women who have officially worked as lighthouse keepers in Spain, making their role visible in a profession historically dominated by men. Through a careful selection of historiographical material and contemporary art works, the exhibition offers a unique journey through the life, work and legacy of these exceptional women.

The exhibition space is divided into two distinct areas: one devoted to the first women who lived in lighthouses, with graphic documents and texts that reconstruct their experiences, and the other focusing on the protagonists of the documentary "The light that guides us", directed by the curator herself.

Today, only four women lighthouse keepers are still active, and their upcoming retirement will mark the end of a period that began to fade away after the passing of the 1992 Ports and Merchant Navy Act, which made this profession practically obsolete.

"Fareras. The light that guides us" is an opportunity to explore the confluence between art, history and memory, and to pay tribute to those who illuminated our coasts from the anonymity of lighthouses.

The APB approves the first fire ordinance for marinas and water sports facilities

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) has approved the first ordinance on fire protection and self-protection in marinas and water sports facilities in the public domain of the APB. This is the first regulation of its kind in Spain, and establishes a pioneering regulatory framework to improve safety in these facilities.

The regulations have been developed in conjunction with the fire prevention and extinguishing services of the Balearic Islands, including the fire brigades of Palma, Mallorca, Minorca and Formentera. Experience in emergencies in ports and marinas, both at the regional level and in other autonomous communities, has served as a basis for defining safety criteria, procedures and guidelines.

The final text of the ordinance was drafted through a participatory process involving various organisations and groups in the sector. Of particular note are the contributions of the Association of Naval Engineers of the Balearic Islands, which collaborated for a year in drafting the regulations, as well as the Association of Marine and Sports Facilities (ANADE) and the Association of Sailing Clubs of the Balearic Islands, which submitted joint proposals incorporated into the final text.

Risk factors

The analysis of the problem highlighted various risk factors, such as the increase in the length of vessels and the incorporation of new interior installations such as galleys, air conditioning systems, electrical mechanisms and other equipment that increase the likelihood of fire. These factors, together with the need for permanent electrical connection and the complexity of maintenance in the marine environment, have resulted in a scenario of greater vulnerability.

In addition, interventions of the emergency services in these incidents are particularly complex due to the geometry of marine facilities and installations. The difficulty in detecting and handling emergencies, coupled with the lack of suitable warning measures, delays the response and aggravates the consequences of fires.

In view of this situation, the APB has promoted the drafting of this ordinance from a cross-cutting perspective, integrating the particularities of risk in these facilities and guaranteeing the safety of people and property. The regulations will also facilitate the intervention of both internal and external emergency services.

This new regulations are set to become a landmark at the national level, setting a precedent for future regulations in the port area in terms of fire prevention and safety.

The Local Police and the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands bring eight charges in a joint operation to counter the occupation of the public thoroughfare on Palma's seafront promenade

The Palma Local Police, in collaboration with the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands, carried out a joint operation to control the occupation of the public thoroughfare by the terraces of the leisure and restaurant establishments on Palma's seafront promenade, Avenida Gabriel Roca.

This operation, which took place last weekend, involved four officers from the Port Police of the port of Palma, as well as officers of several units of the Local Police: seven members of the Community Proximity Team (ECOP) and two from the Preventive Action Group (GAP).

As a result of this action, eight charges were brought for unauthorised occupation of the public thoroughfare in the port area, one for each offending establishment.

Two other charges were also brought on 1 June, in this case in an area under municipal jurisdiction. The two establishments involved did not remove the items from their terraces after closure, leaving them piled up in front of the front of the premises.

Fines

Depending on the seriousness of the infringement, these offences can result in financial penalties ranging from 100 to 750 euros (minor infringements), from 750.01 to 1,500 euros (serious infringements) and from 1,500.01 to 3,000 euros (very serious infringements).

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Lighthouses of the Balearic Islands

Ships in Port

Transparency Portal

Air quality

Port Innovation Platform

Economic and social impact

Weather forecast

Navigation aids

Interesting links

Annual Report

This publication details the APB’s financial situation, the technical characteristics of its public ports and provides an overview of the institution’s activities.

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Link to the APB’s e-office which features the official notice boards on public information, human resources, public port land, and auctions, as well as other notices.

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This report sets out the actions carried out to create value for the APB’s stakeholders, in compliance with its commitment to transparent management.

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These provide a detailed picture about the traffic using the public ports of Palma, Alcudia, Mahon, Ibiza and La Savina.

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Comprehensive information, including the audit report, of the most recent financial statements passed by the APB's Board of Directors, and given a favourable report by the Spanish National Audit Office.

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