The Port of Mahon today inaugurates a new travel lift with a 150-tonne capacity
Maó
09/05/2017
Today, The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) presented the new travel lift procured for its dry dock. This procurement addresses one of the commitments made by the APB in conjunction with the city councils of Mahon and Es Castell in the Port of Mahon's Plan of Action and represents a major boost in the growth of the repair and maintenance industry.
The motorised crane, purchased by the APB for €400,000, will be used to lift and launch vessels of up to 150 tonnes and transport them to their dry docking spot. It weighs 58 tonnes and measures 10.4 metres in height under beam.
The features of this travel lift accommodate requests submitted by users of the port, the maritime sector and local authorities, all of whom thought it necessary to equip the Port of Mahon's dry dock with this machinery to meet minimum requirements of the fleet stationed there and to facilitate access to an existing market that until now could not be catered for due to a lack of lifting equipment.
The travel lift will be managed by the company Medsea Yacht Services S.L., established specifically for the purpose by Minorcan companies Pedro's Boat and Nautic Center. The President of the APB, Joan Gual de Torrella, has announced that within a year they will issue a new call for tenders for the operation of the dry dock, incorporating a new open model that will allow all authorised companies working in the repair and maintenance sector to take part.
New call for tenders
The President of the APB, Joan Gual de Torrella, said "this management model brings us into a new stage at the Port of Mahon, allowing us to take a significant step towards boosting competitiveness, breaking into the international market, enhancing participation from companies, and creating even more jobs for the local market in the process".
The presentation this morning was attended by the Mayoress of Mahon, Conxa Juanola, the Mayor of Es Castell, Lluís Camps, representatives from the company in charge of operating the travel life, as well as representatives from business collectives and the maritime sector such as PINEMA, CAEB, the Chamber of Commerce of Mallorca and ASMEN.
The ports managed by the APB are benchmarks in terms of repair and maintenance services of vessels in the west of the Mediterranean. There have been 145,000 m2 of the port area allocated to this activity, half at the Port of Palma. They are able to offer comprehensive, modern and premium services to vessels measuring up to 120 metres in length. It is estimated that the sector will provide jobs to 2,300 qualified and multilingual professionals and will have an annual economic yield of 452 million euros.
