LARGEST TRAVEL LIFT IN EUROPE UNVEILED AT STP FACILITIES AT THE PORT OF PALMA
Palma
03/12/2018
The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) and Servicios Técnicos Portuarios (STP) today presented the new 1,000-ton travel lift, the largest boat hoist in Europe measuring 26 metres long, 12.5 metres wide and 25 metres tall, making the Port of Palma the European benchmark in the vessel repair and maintenance sector.
At the ceremony held at midday today in the STP facilities at the Port of Palma, president of the APB, Joan Gual de Torrella, highlighted that the repair and maintenance of boats is a strategic activity for the port authority, "an investment we intend to roll out at the ports of Alcudia and Mahon".
Along the same lines, the Minister of Labour, Trade and Industry of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Lago Negueruela, said that "today is a day to feel proud, because thanks to the public-private cooperation, the Balearic industrial sector is growing and the maritime sector is establishing itself as an emerging sector on the Islands".
"This industry brings 250 million euros to the Islands –said the Chief Executive of STP, José Maria Campuzano, during his speech– and successfully reduces seasonality, not only in the maritime business but also in the tourism sector". Campuzano also pointed out that it is estimated that 800 direct jobs, 1500 indirect jobs and 600 related jobs are created in his facilities at the Port of Palma, without taking into account the crew on board. In other words, 6 indirect jobs are created for every direct job. In this sense, the president of the APB, Joan Gual de Torrella, said that thanks to the Dual Vocational Training offered by the Government of the Balearic Islands and private collaboration, local skilled labour in the maritime sector may see a significant increase.
The largest in Europe
The new travel lift, capable of hoisting and beaching boats weighing up to 1,000 tons, also allows works on larger vessels to be carried out simultaneously and speeds up manoeuvre times. On top of this, being able to beach vessels that until now had to undergo refits in the water and subsequent completion on dry docks, frees up space along the mooring line for more boats. Another major advantage is that its height means that large sailing boats can be hoisted without any need to dismantle their stays or backstays.
The acquisition of the travel lift was one of the conditions to extend the administrative concession that the APB approved in March 2017 for STP. The modification consisted of the inclusion of a land maritime public domain surface area of 24,422 m2 in the already existing license, 14,743 m2 of which are the land surface area and 9,679 m2 the water surface area, and the extension of the initial term of the license by 5.4 years.
By extending the term, the investment commitment by the concessionaire increases to 6.4 million euros.
