News APB | Ports de Balears

An environmental project supported by the APB, selected in the call for proposals "Ports 4.0"

16/04/2021

One of the projects presented by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) to the call for grants "Ports 4.0" Fund will receive funding from the Distribution Committee of the Interport Compensation Fund in 2021. The chosen idea, called CICERO, which has been developed by Garau Ingenieros, substantially improves the quality of port waters and was considered one of the best, more specifically the fifth of the 125 presented. Thanks to this grant of 15,000 euros, a proof of concept will be developed for six months in the port of Palma. The idea is aimed at eliminating the turbidity of the harbour's sheltered water without pumping it outside, but rather promoting natural purification by providing it with oxygen under suitable conditions. The model includes software and a validation and monitoring system aimed at recovering the natural processes while occupying the minimum space and without hindering port operations. All this is done through specific aeration, filtering and water mixing modules for sports, fishing, industrial or passenger docks. Ports 4.0 Fund The Distribution Committee of the Interport Compensation Fund, of which the presidents of the 28 Port Authorities are members, approved the proposal made by the Technical Committee which evaluated the applications submitted to the first call for public aid to the "Ports 4.0" Fund, under the "Plan to promote entrepreneurship for innovation in the port sector.”33 ideas will receive aid for a total amount of 500,000 euros. Of the 33 approved ideas, 3 deal with process digitalisation, 4 with safety and security, 10 with environmental sustainability and energy, 1 with the tourism sector and the remaining 10 with logistical efficiency. In addition, 5 intra-entrepreneurship ideas proposed by port authority staff were selected. Ports 4.0 is an initiative of the Port System that is part of the Innovation Plan for Transport and Infrastructures of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA), and constitutes the major breakthrough project for the adaptation of the Spanish logistics-port sector to the 4.0 economy. The objective of the 'Ports 4.0' Plan to Promote Entrepreneurship for Innovation in the Port Sector is to attract, support and facilitate the application of talent and entrepreneurship for innovation in the Spanish public and private logistics-port sector, by implementing a public aid plan. The 'Ports 4.0' Fund was created and financed through the Interport Compensation Fund, with an additional 1% contributed by the 28 Port Authorities. You can find further information on the selected APB project here.

Technology and innovation Environment and CSR

Restoration of the floor slabs of La Creu lighthouse in port de Sóller

12/04/2021

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) completed the restoration of the floor slabs of La Creu lighthouse, in Port de Sóller. The work consisted mainly of inserting metal beams to reinforce the first-floor slab, which was in poor condition. In addition, the interior walls were adapted, windows and blinds were replaced and façades were repaired. The intervention contract was awarded to the company VIGALCO for a total of €208,412.18 and a term of 75 days. La Creu lighthouse La Creu lighthouse is located within the Sóller Naval Station. Its construction dates back to the 30s but it did not start operating until 1945. The building has two floors, 13.60 m long and 10.10 m wide. On the first floor, there is a 36 m2 terrace, which is the only part of the building that has a wooden floor. The rest of the floor is unidirectional and made of reinforced concrete similar to its joists and vaults.

Port-city

Isla Plana will be included in the service area of the port of Maó

08/04/2021

The Board of Directors of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has recently approved the acquisition of the Isla Plana from the Ministry of Defence, for an amount of 318,631 euros. Previously, the APB had already agreed to incorporate this islet into the service area of the port of Maó through its inclusion in the Delimitation of Port Areas and Uses (DEUP) which is pending final approval. The objective of its purchase is the refurbishment of the existing buildings and their use as an ecological sailing school - traditional sailing (lateen sailing). These facilities will improve access conditions for users of both the Club Náutico Villa Carlos and the Club Marítimo de Maó. Furthermore, as stated in the DEUP, the association "Amics de la Mar - Port de Maó", whose influence in Menorcan society is very important for the promotion of traditional sailing, could be transferred to this island. The total surface area of the Isla Plana, excluding the maritime-terrestrial area, which already belongs to the port, is 7,519 m² and on it there are six buildings with a total surface area of 1,359 m². It is located approximately 200 m to the west of the Isla del Lazareto, just 150 m from the North Shore and 450 m from the South Shore.

Socio-economic development Environment and CSR Technology and innovation

The ports of Eivissa and La Savina undertake to repair damage to the paintwork of their facilities within 12 working hours

06/04/2021

The ports of Eivissa and La Savina undertake to repair damage to the paintwork of their exterior facilities within 12 working hours. The new contract, awarded to APIMOSA, began on 9 March and will have a duration of 2 years with a possible extension of two more, and is valued at 424,615 euros. The service includes refurbishing the surface of railings, benches, structures, enclosures and other metal furniture and ornamental elements (grilles, anchors, lights, litter bins...). Work is also carried out on horizontal traffic signs and interior and exterior walls. The problems detected will be reported through a Computer Aided Maintenance Management System (CMMS), and will be resolved within the contractual deadlines. Objectives In parallel to the possible problems, the following tasks are already: Painting the façade of the APB building in Eivissa, maintenance of the horizontal traffic signs in the Port-City area and in the Botafoc operations area (Eivissa) and recoating outside the La Savina urbanisation project.

Transport and infrastructure Port-city

The APB starts the strategic environmental study for the Special Plan for the Port of Eivissa

06/04/2021

During March, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has started the strategic environmental study for the Special Plan for the Port of Eivissa. This study, entrusted to a technical design office, is being carried out at the request of the Balearic Islands Environmental Commission, and will form part of the procedure for the creation of the Special Plan, which the APB will be able to complete once the Definition of the Port Area and its Uses (DEUP) has been approved. The preparatory work for the creation of the Special Plan—an urban planning procedure for ports classified as installations of national importance, and which involves coordination between the public administrations responsible for the port area—started in March 2018 in the form of a technical commission formed by the APB and Eivissa Municipal Council. In December 2019 the APB transmitted the agreed draft of the Special Plan to the Municipal Council (the body responsible for approving it), together with a document requesting the initiation of the strategic environmental evaluation procedure. This request was transmitted by the Municipal Council to the Environmental Commission of the Government of the Balearic Islands. In March 2021 the APB and the Municipal Council received a reply from the Commission, which, after carrying out the mandatory consultations, includes the technical considerations and scope for the undertaking of this study. DEUP For its part, the DEUP for the Port of Eivissa—a procedure used in ports classified as installations of national importance to identify the public port area in accordance with its current and foreseeable uses—is awaiting approval on the part of the Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Planning. The APB has processed the DEUP in accordance with the legal procedure established in the Revised Text of the Spanish Law for Public Ports and the Merchant Navy, including the mandatory process of citizen participation with public information and consultation with the public administrations affected and the persons concerned. These include the Department of the Environment and Territorial Planning of the Government of the Balearic Islands, which transmitted to the APB the observations taken into account for the final drafting of the document. In this respect, the Spanish National Ports Authority, after receiving reports from the Spanish Solicitor General’s Office, declares that the processing of the DEUP does not require its submission to the formal procedure for strategic environmental assessment, which is however required for the Special Plan. Nevertheless, the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge has participated in the process through the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and the Coastline, whose final report was favourable in keeping with the conditions established in the final document of the DEUP.

Transport and infrastructure Environment and CSR

The APB promotes sustainable mobility among its employees

30/03/2021

Employees of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) participate in the ‘30-day Ciclogreen Challenge’ held in April. The main aim of this challenge is to promote sustainable mobility within the organization and help reduce CO2 emissions from transport. Therefore, APB workers commit themselves to going to work using a sustainable means of transport: bicycle, on foot, electric scooter, public transport, etc. But this commitment is not only limited to 30 days in April. The organization aims to encourage long-lasting healthy habits among its employees, allowing them to take advantage of the environmental benefits of sustainable mobility. The Ciclogreen mobile app enables employees to log their sustainable journeys. In return, they accumulate kilometre points (ciclos) for each kilometre travelled. Those employees, who reach the minimum number of cycles and, therefore, manage to meet the challenge, will enter the draw for different prizes including a bicycle. Each user will also be able to access their private profile to see all the details of their trips and the metrics of their activities. Through this challenge, the APB collaborates in the transition from the prevailing mobility model in our cities to a more sustainable, efficient and safe one. For a long time now, many experts have warned of the problems related to our travel habits: air and noise pollution, less friendly cities for people, traffic, stress, etc. Reduction of CO2 emissions The organization can use the control panel that includes the initiative to monitor the reduction of CO2 emissions registered during the month of April. This will show it exactly how the challenge is working among the employees and if the objectives of reducing the company's carbon footprint are being met.

Restoration service for the lighthouses of Formentor and Artrutx is once again being put out to tender

24/03/2021

The Board of Directors of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB), in an ordinary session on 18 March, agreed to launch a public tender for the management of two tourism establishments at the lighthouses of Formentor (Mallorca) and Artrutx (Menorca). In both cases, the most advantageous bid will be selected and the corresponding authorisation will be granted for the operation of a bar-cafeteria-restaurant service. Both lighthouses have been offering this service to the public for years through different authorisations. The cafeteria at the Formentor lighthouse has been open since 2006 and has been a compulsory stop for residents and tourists for decades. The restaurant at the Artrutx lighthouse opened its doors in 2009. Recognised for being located in areas with very picturesque landscapes, these two lighthouses are the only ones in the Balearic Islands that have a service of this kind, although the APB is about to grant the operation of a new cafeteria at the lighthouse of La Mola in Formentera. Three years of authorisation In the case of the Formentor lighthouse, authorisation will be granted for temporary occupation of several premises (rooms in the lighthouse building, annexes, garage, place where the transformer was located and a warehouse under the viewpoint) with a total surface area of 636.5 m2, for the use of a public port area for hotel and catering purposes. The annual amount of the occupation fee to be improved by the bidder amounts to 32,153.06 Euro excluding VAT. The maximum duration of the authorisation will be three years from the date it is granted. On the other hand, with regard to the Artrutx lighthouse, the specifications contemplate the occupation of rooms in the lighthouse building, the substitute's house, the warehouse, annexes, and an uncovered area adjacent to the lighthouse for use as a terrace. The annual amount of the occupation fee to be improved by the bidder is 11,280.39 Euro excluding VAT. The maximum duration of the authorisation will be three years, starting from the date it is granted.

Socio-economic development

The APB improves the pavement surface of the Camí de s’Escullera

17/03/2021

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) improves the pavement surface on the sea side of the Camí de s’Escullera in the port of Palma. Pavements, foundation slabs, concrete factories and others that will allow the work to be done properly have already begun to be demolished. The work ranges from the top of the APB headquarters to the access road to the commercial docks and is being carried out in a way that causes the least possible interference with the use of the port. For greater security, one of the access traffic lanes to the Paseo Marítimo has been shut off. Construcciones, Excavaciones y Asfaltos (COEXA) is the company that has been awarded the contract, which has a cost of €341,676.85 and an expected duration of three months. This project will create eight direct jobs.

Port-city Transport and infrastructure

The restaurants in the port of Palma are committed to sustainability with the separation and monitoring of their organic waste

15/03/2021

12 restaurants located in the port of Palma are participating in a pilot project for the collection of organic matter promoted by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB). The initiative began in 2019 with a group of restaurants that started to separate their organic waste in specific containers, monitored in real time, and up to now they have collected more than 19 tons of organic matter. The key point is in the correct separation and sensorisation of containers, which enables restaurant owners and the APB to know the weight of the waste and its origin in real time. Each participant can therefore access their data at any time through a computer application. The municipal collection service is responsible for removing the waste on a daily basis and delivering it to the TIRME recovery plant, where this waste goes through a process of producing compost that is delivered to local producers to fertilise their crops. This year the project has been consolidated, and restaurant owners have been invited to close the circle by purchasing agricultural products from local suppliers. By doing this, the initiative to minimise and recover waste along with the value of supporting 0 km products reduces the carbon footprint. Certificate issued by the APB Restaurant owners have a spreadsheet where they enter the necessary kilos of agricultural products grown in Majorca, and which informs them whether the quantities purchased are sufficient to counterbalance the waste produced. If so, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands will issue a certificate to the establishment confirming and distinguishing its initiative.

Environment and CSR

APB opens a tender for improving the energy efficiency of public lighting at the port of Alcúdia

12/03/2021

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) opens a tender for improving the energy efficiency of public lighting at the port of Alcúdia. This improvement project, which is in the open tender phase, has an initial budget of 1,081,635 euros and an expected duration of 5 months from the official start of the works. The deadline for receiving offers is 25 March 2021. Interested parties may submit their applications through the APB Electronic Bidding Portal. The proposal provides for replacement of the type of lamps used - 12% of which are also in poor condition - by other more efficient technologies such as LEDs that reduce light pollution levels. A total of 739 light points with 1,192 lamps have been inventoried in the port’s outdoor facility. In the port, restricted access areas are combined with spaces open to the public such as pedestrian walkways, double-lane and single-lane roads, bicycle lanes, loading and/or passenger docks, parking lots, etc. that require different levels of lighting to ensure their safe usage. This intervention also seeks to reduce the costs of electricity consumption by 50% through replacing discharge or fluorescent lamps - less efficient than current technological developments - with LEDs, together with the implementation of regulation equipment and the use of remote management systems in switchboards to adapt lighting to environmental conditions. Reduction of CO2 emissions This improvement in energy efficiency also aims to contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases, in compliance with European guidelines and current trends towards sustainability. This public lighting energy efficiency project covers other ports of general interest in the Balearic Islands. In fact, work has already begun in Palma, Maó and la Savina, while in Eivissa, a tender will soon be opened.

Environment and CSR Port-city Transport and infrastructure

Work starts on the replacement of the lighthouse at Punta s'Esperó in the port of Maó

11/03/2021

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) is installing a new lighthouse at Punta s'Esperó in Menorca. Work to replace the old one began in February and will last three months. The light source and solar panel have therefore been dismantled, and the old lighthouse, noted for its proximity to the sea and which had cracks and fissures in its reinforced concrete support structure due to corrosion of the reinforcement, has been demolished and will be replaced by another modular fibreglass and polyester one. The day mark of the new lighthouse will be 5 metres high and its focal height will be approximately 6.2 metres. The tower will be 1.25 metres wide and will be equipped with air vents to prevent the accumulation of gases and humidity. The contract was awarded to Mediterráneo Señales Marítimas SL at a cost of €49,500. Difficult access Before starting the demolition work, a temporary lighthouse with a high luminosity self-powered LED was installed so as not to alter its function as a navigational aid for ships. Due to the location of the lighthouse and its difficult access, all demolition work was carried out manually, with the loading of waste into sacks and the help of a crane truck. The new lighthouse, equipped with LED lamps, will have much lower maintenance cost and energy consumption. The Punta s'Esperó lighthouse, located on the cliffs of La Mola, at the entrance to the port of Maó, is the easternmost point in Spain.

Port-city Technology and innovation

The APB will present 310 million euros worth of Mediterranean Corridor projects to the European Commission

10/03/2021

The recent inclusion of the port of Palma in the Mediterranean Corridor as a node of the Trans-European Transport Network will enable the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) to participate in the Mediterranean Corridor Working Group and to propose and monitor projects that will make a significant contribution to the general objectives of that Corridor. The president of the APB, Francesc Antich, affirms that "the Mediterranean Corridor that strengthens the connection with the continent, which is so important for us in terms of goods and passengers, will allow us to participate in the commissions that must decide on funding to improve infrastructures and services.” The projects that the APB plans to carry out, in any event, in the investment planning of the Port of Palma until 2030 will thus be potentially eligible for EU funding. With the current estimates, updated periodically, they amount to 310 million euros, and are divided into three large groups, which are the development and modernisation of port infrastructures and internal connections and accesses to the port of Palma (275 million euros) the implementation of projects linked to clean energies and environmental sustainability (25 million euros) and the application of new technologies and innovation (10 million euros). The first group includes the development of docks and esplanades, interior roads and accesses to the southwest area of the port. The clean energy and sustainability projects include infrastructures and facilities for cold ironing, as well as systems to improve energy efficiency (lighting, promotion of electric vehicles) and even the possible desalination of water with renewable energies to supply vessels and terminals. Finally, the projects aim to transform the port of Palma into a digitalised and "intelligent" port, with new architecture and connections with operators and other ports, and further development of electronic administration and cybersecurity. Mediterranean Corridor The financial framework 2021-2027 of the CEF (Connecting Europe Facility) Regulation, which finances the trans-European transport, energy and telecommunications networks, includes among its objectives and priorities actions in 9 multimodal transport corridors (for goods and people), including the Mediterranean Corridor. Moreover, due to its connection with the European high-speed lines and its interoperability with the main Spanish ports, it is one of the major transport hubs at an economic and commercial level in Europe.

Transport and infrastructure Socio-economic development Technology and innovation