News APB | Ports de Balears

The institutions of the Balearic Islands and the private sector will work in a joint strategic plan for cruise ships

12/05/2016

The public institutions of the Balearic Islands and the private sector have agreed to work in a joint strategic plan to develop the cruise tourism in a sustainable manner and for the benefit of the economy of the islands. The decision has been taken in a meeting celebrated this morning in the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce of Majorca and organised by the Balearic Islands' Port Authority (APB) and the Cruise Lines International Association CLIA. This meeting has been attended by around 50 people from different sectors related to the tourism of the islands, including institutional representatives such as the vice president and Minister of Tourism of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Gabriel Barceló the president of Ibiza Island Council, Vicent Torres the Councillor of Tourism of Palma's city council, Joana Adrover the first deputy mayor of Mahon's council, Vicenç Tur or the Councillor of Tourism of Alcudia, Joan Vallori. The private companies have been represented by shipping lines such as Pullmantur, Aida, Carnival or MSC tour operators such as TUI, hotel associations of Playa de Palma and Alcudia, the Provincial Association of Enterprisers of Balearic Maritime Activities APEAM, the Restoration Association of Majorca, associations of taxi drivers, etc. All of them have been analysing for almost five hours the social and economic impact of cruise ships, and have agreed on their importance for the social structures of the Balearic Islands. Therefore they have decided to organise work groups in order to collaborate and set up a joint strategy with a main aim: to strengthen the tourist product represented by cruise tourism in a sustainable manner. Joint support The president of the APB, Joan Gual de Torrella, has highlighted that cruise ships are a com-plementary product of the tourist offer of the Balearic Islands which benefits the global econ-omy of the islands. The vice president of the Government of the Balearic Islands and Minister of Tourism, Gabriel Barceló, has expressed his opinion along the same lines and has supported the sector, highlighting the fact that it must be a sustainable product "from two points of view", the environmental and for the need to continuously regulate the passenger traffic. For his part, Raphael von Heereman, the Secretary General of CLIA Europa, which comprises 50 cruise companies, has put the spotlight on the satisfaction level of tourists who visit the island and become the target public of the destination, and has highlighted the need to celebrate a meeting such as this in order to offer a sustainable future to cruise ships and tourism in the Balearic Islands. The president of CLIA in Spain, Alfredo Serrano, has also stated that "regions such as the Balearic Islands are essential for the development of the cruise industry, with doorways such as Palma, one of the most important ports of Europe, and other ports of the archipelago which have grown considerably in the last few years and have a great growth potential”. From CLIA they have offered their full collaboration with the authorities, ports, travel agencies and shipping companies "with the aim of promoting the sustainable development of the Balearic Islands and of strengthening the cruise industry so that it keeps being beneficial to the economy of the area". Some figures The ports of the Balearic Islands managed by the APB are the third ones in the Mediterranean in number of cruise passengers —with almost two millions— and the second ones in number of calls registered in 2015, with almost 790, only surpassed by the Italian port of Civitavecchia. Regarding the economic and social impact, according to a study carried out by the UIB and the CAEB in 2011, the impact of cruise ships on the economy of the Balearic Islands is of 290 million euros in annual turnover, 146 million euros of GDP contribution and 3.000 jobs. Nonetheless, cruise tourism only represents the 3% of the annual tourism of the Balearic Islands. Palma's Port is positioned as a base port in the Mediterranean, Alcudia for smaller and more exclusive cruise ships. Mahon is positioned as a boutique port in the Mediterranean, although it can receive ships of more than 200 metres in length. And Ibiza's Port will be the one to grow the most and to receive the longest stays this season, as cruise passengers spend the night in the island.

The MSC Armonia, the largest cruise ship to date, berths at Maó

10/05/2016

The MSC Armonia berthed at Maó's Port coming from Marseille the last 9th of May, after 6 a.m. It is the largest cruise ship in Minorca to date, a vessel of 276 metres in length which transports almost 2.000 passengers. The commander of the MSC Armonia, Pietro Escarpato, received a commemorative metope of the visit and he gave a souvenir of the day to the president of the Balearic Islands' Port Authority (APB), Joan Gual de Torrella to Rosa Cardona, of the company Transcoma, agent of the vessel to Santiago Florit, Minister for Regional Planning of Minorca Council, and to Maó's mayor, Conxa Juanola. All the institutions have worked together to position Maó as a boutique port in the Mediterranean and to spread the natural and cultural values of Minorca internationally. But the arrival of a vessel of this nature has been possible thanks to the improvement works of the port conducted by the APB, which include the elimination of the ro-ro ramp of the Cruise Dock (before the Passengers Dock) and the dredging done in 2014. Besides, in order to guarantee the security of the port and the manoeuvrability of the ship, tests were done with a simulator at the Centro de Seguridad Marítima Integral Jovellanos of Gijón, in which the captain of the MSC Armonia himself participated. The berthing of the ship was approved by the pilots of Maó's port and the Maritime Authority. According to forecasts, the MSC Armonia will visit Minorca 9 more times (the original estimate was of 11, but two calls before the 9th of May had to be cancelled due to high winds), so this ship will bring more than 20.000 people to the island throughout the ship cruise season.

12 KNOTS, MAXIMUM SPEED FOR IBIZA'S PORT

05/05/2016

From May 1st on, transiting vessels may not exceed the speed restriction of 12 knots applied all over Ibiza port. Stated by maritime Captain of Ibiza and Formentera, Luis Gascón, whose decision has been published in the April 30th BOIB (Official Balearic Islands’ Gazette). This speed limitation will be kept during APB works, performed to extend south pier of Botafoc, be-cause ships’ strong surf impedes performing the needed works undisturbed. A mile away from Botafoc pier and as per the green light of it, reducing speed is mandatory, exclusively for those in port’s access direction. Only in case of exceptional weather conditions this speed restriction will be exceeded. Maritime Authority’s resolution was undertaken following the request of the company in charge of works’ execution, warming of the danger for both people and infrastructure caused by waves. After the meeting with APB representatives, shipping companies in regular traffic, Ibiza port’s pilots and the personnel responsible for prevention of labour risks of the company, it was subsequently found that speed must be reduced during access manoeuvring into Ibiza Port.

Eight cruise ships call at Palma's Port on the same day

03/05/2016

Eight cruise ships have happened to meet in Palma during their tour around the Mediterranean. We are talking about the Meinschiff 4 (coming from Ibiza), Aida Cara, Thomson Majesty, Costa Fascinosa, the Norwegian Jade, the Costa Diadema, Royal Clipper (coming from Ibiza and on its way to Mahon) and the MSC Fantasia. This cruise ship meeting proves that the Balearic Islands are being consolidated as an essential destination for shipping companies thanks to the effort of the Balearic Islands' Port Authority (APB) and of the institutions of the islands to promote cruise tourism. According to the president of the APB, Joan Gual de Torrella, "we are happy to see that our effort to promote a specific tourist product that diversifies the Balearic tourist offer is finally rewarded. This record of number of cruise ships will not be repeated many more days, but it proves that this product has a promising future". Palma's Port is working at full speed, but the operations are carried out normally, as the facilities have been adapted to receive cruise ships and their passengers. Many of these passengers will visit Palma's historic centre, but others will make excursions around the rest of the island. Therefore, Gual de Torrella greatly appreciates the initiative of Palma's city council to distribute the cruise passengers to different areas of the city, which will help distribute the wealth they generate. "Overcrowding may occur and we know this is a local issue. But it is a given situation in a specific neighbourhood of Palma which benefits the rest of the island. Cruise passengers not only visit the old town, they spread out around Palma and Majorca because they do excursions around the island. It would be a mistake to think that limiting tourists visiting the island would benefit us", Joan Gual said, after offering his services to the city council to solve this problem. On the other hand, Afedeco’s Secretary General, Antonio Vilella, and the president of Pimeco, Bernat Coll, through their Twitter accounts, have warmly welcomed the arrival of cruise ships in Palma as evidence that this type of tourism is being consolidated for the benefit of the small and medium-sized enterprises.

Palma's Port will host the XXXIII edition of the International Boat Show

28/04/2016

Palma's Port will become, yet another year, the most dynamic and attractive recreational yacht club of the Mediterranean with the celebration of the 33d edition of the International Boat Show Palma. This edition will bring together at the port until the 2nd of May more than 300 exhibitors, 2.800 registered trademarks and 250 ships afloat, of up to 70 metres long. The exhibition will be celebrated in different areas of the port, including the Mollet pier, Secadero de Redes, Lonja, Viejo and Consigna piers. The Balearic Islands' Port Authority (APB) is working closely with the Government of the Balearic Islands, organiser of the event, with Palma's city council and with the yacht association MYBA so that this international meeting of the nautical sector is a complete success. With this aim in mind, the APB has handed over 20.213 sq.m of occupation in land and 48.032 sq.m in the sea, apart from an important staff of agents of the Port Police and the full-time commitment of the personnel of the APB. The Boat Show coincides with the Palma Superyacht Show, a boat show for brokerage and charter yachts above 24m in length.

The pilots of Palma's Port, the first ones in Spain to obtain an international pilotage certification

22/04/2016

The pilots of Palma's Port have been certified by the Classification Society Lloyd's Register in the international standard ISPO (International Standard for Maritime Pilot Organizations). Thus, they have become the first port service to receive this certificate at the national level, the first one in the Mediterranean and the seventeenth at a global level. The ISPO lays down the quality standards of the pilotage service in the main European ports, like Rotterdam, Antwerp, Liverpool or Amsterdam. Today, Palma Pilots' Association is formed by six pilots, ten crew members and office staff who have been working for years to get this certificate. To that end, they have implemented an efficient and verifiable management system based on the needs of Palma's Port, especially regarding safety, occupational health and environmental management. Apart from this certificate, Palma's pilots have had the certificates ISO 9001, 18001 and 14001 for years now. The pilots thus meet the challenges and current needs of Palma's Port, which receives large cruise ships throughout the year, as well as cargo ships, many of them with fuel load. Pilotage is a universal service, mandatory for ships over 500 tons or of any size whenever they transport dangerous goods. Its function is to guarantee the safety of the port and its facilities and of the vessels, but also of the environment and the people. It is a franchise highly regulated service due to its impact on navigation safety.

The APB participates in a photo competition of European ports on the occasion of the European Maritime Day

22/04/2016

The Balearic Islands' Port Authority has joined the #MyPortForTurku campaign, a photo competition organised by the European Commission to commemorate the European Maritime Day, which will be celebrated from the 18th to the 22nd of May. The host port of this year's European day is Turku's Port, one of the oldest ports in Finland. The competition aims at making known the 3.000 European ports that connect the continent today by involving the society in this initiative. Citizens can participate in the contest by sending photos of their favourite European ports. The APB has decided to join this campaign because it is a good way of making known the Balearic ports in Europe, while contributing to the rapprochement of the ports and of the institution to the citizens. The APB collaborates in this edition with the donation of promotional material of the ports of the islands, which will be part of the prizes awarded to the competition's winners. All those interested can participate in this contest until the next Monday 25th of April, sharing a maximum of three photos through their Twitter, Instagram or Facebook accounts and sending the link of the publication to the following e-mail: mare-communication@ec.europa.eu.The images may also be sent directly to the same e-mail. Together with the photos, participants have to send the name of the port, the country and the tag #MyPortForTurku. For example: "Palma's Port, Spain, #MyPortForTurku". All the submitted photos will be published in an interactive map on the competition's website. Thus, the APB invites all the participants to locate their favourite port on the map. The best 50 photos will be awarded. The winners may win prizes, as well as participate with the awarded photo in the exhibitions that will be held in Turku's Port and in other European ports.

Cruise tourism in the spotlight at a professional conference in Palma

19/04/2016

Cruise tourism and its strategic consequences will be analysed at a high-class conference to be held in Palma the next 12th of May and organised by the Balearic Islands' Port Authority (APB). The conference will be attended by the main representatives of the CLIA Europe —the main association of cruise ships in the world— and by representatives of the Balearic institutions, of both the Government of the Balearic Islands and of business and tourism sectors such as Majorca's Chamber of Commerce or Fundación Palma 365. The main aim of this conference is to analyse the evolution of cruise tourism and its positive impact on the destinations, especially regarding job creation, infrastructure development, economic development, promotion of the destination, etc. However, the debate will also centre on the possible negative or undesirable effects of the growing arrival of cruise ships to the islands, from waste management to the congestion of the historic centres or the visual impact generated by vessels. The main objective of the APB is to consolidate a sustainable development of cruise ship traffic in order to get a global benefit for the islands in the mid and long term.

The largest cruise ship to date will arrive at Maó's Port in April

13/04/2016

Maó's Port will receive the next 25th of April the largest cruise ship to date in Minorca, the MSC Armonia, of 276 metres of length, which transports almost 2.000 passengers. Thus, the news received by the managers of the Balearic Islands' Port Authority (APB) at the international fair of cruise ships, Seatrade Global, in Florida, has been confirmed. The arrival of such a long ship has been possible thanks to the improvement works of the port conducted by the APB, which include the elimination of the ro-ro ramp of the Cruise Dock (before the Passengers Dock) and the dredging done in 2014. Besides, in order to guarantee the security of the port and the manoeuvrability of the ship, tests have been done with a simulator at the Centro de Seguridad Marítima Integral Jovellanos of Gijón, in which the captain of the MSC Armonia himself has participated. For all these reasons the berthing of this large ship has been approved by the pilots of Maó's port and the Maritime Authority. The ship's arrival is scheduled for 7 a.m. and its departure will be at 3 p.m. According to forecasts, the MSC Armonia will visit Minorca in 11 occasions, so this ship will bring to the island more than 21.000 people throughout the cruise season.

The APB promotes the improvement of training in the nautical sector

13/04/2016

The Balearic Islands' Port Authority (APB) has held a business meeting in Palma's offices to discuss the training options offered by the Employment Service of the Balearic Islands (SOIB) in the nautical sector. They are specific specialties designed to improve the human capital in a sector as strategically important for the Balearic Islands as the nautical, especially considering the growth potential it represents. The meeting, organised by the president of the APB, Joan Gual de Torrella, has been presided over by the Minister of Labour, Commerce and Industry, Iago Negueruela, and it has been attended by the general manager of Employment and Economy, Llorenç Pou, and by representatives of nautical companies and business associations. During the meeting, the minister Negueruela has presented the training programme designed to promote the hiring of unemployed young people and included in the Strategy of the Professional Training for the Employment of the Balearic Islands, agreed with the economic and social agents of the Balearic Islands. Negueruela has thanked Gual de Torrella for the APB's commitment in organising these business meetings, which contribute to the strengthening of the nautical industry in the Balearic Islands.

Ramon Llull Conference 2030: the seafront of the future

12/04/2016

The first Ramon Llull Conference 2030 will be held the next 13th, 14th and 15th of April 2016 at the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce of Majorca. The main aim of this conference is to discuss ideas and come to the necessary agreements in order to make Palma's seafront an urban district of scientific development and a spotlight of talent which becomes the backbone of a new economy of the Balearic Islands based on knowledge. The president of the Balearic Islands' Port Authority, Joan Gual de Torrella, will be one of the persons in charge of inaugurating the conference, together with Palma's mayor, José Hila the vice president of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Biel Barceló the deputy of Urbanism of Palma's city council, Antoni Noguera the dean of the University of the Balearic Islands, Llorenç Huguet the chairwoman of the Official Association of Architects of the Balearic Islands, Marta Vall-Llossera the general manager of Endesa-Baleares, Ernest Bonnín and the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce of Majorca, Álvaro Middelman. At Palma's seafront we find four nerve centres of the city, of the island and also of the Balearic archipelago. The Moll Vell, the GESA building, the Conference Palace and Nou Llevant neighbourhood are four challenges that may have an agreed solution: to devote one of the most relevant areas of the Balearic Islands to science and technology, to culture and knowledge. With this aim in mind, the conference has been divided into five parts: a conceptual framework which will allow for the understanding of the origin and importance of Ramon Llull Territory 2030, as well as of the innovative concepts surrounding it and four thematic sections about different initiatives (PGOU, model port/city, Nou Llevant and Conference Palace and GESA building). The conference aims at opening up discussions about innovative initiatives at Ramon Llull Territory 2030, and at incorporating the model of smart city in Palma through the use of strategies of smart tourism. The first Ramon Llull Conference 2030 has been organised by the University of the Balearic Islands in collaboration with a committee of experts formed by members of the Chamber of Commerce of Majorca, the Balearic Islands' Port Authority, the Official Association of Architects of the Balearic Islands, Endesa and Palma's city council, with the support of Cátedra Santander UIB of Innovation and Transfer of Knowledge. The conference has been sponsored by the Regional Ministry of Innovation, Research and Tourism and by FEDER.

The APB will agree on the design of Botafoc maritime station

09/04/2016

The Balearic Islands' Port Authority (APB) will agree on the design of the future Botafoc maritime station at Ibiza's Port, in collaboration with a technical committee formed by the city council, the business association of maritime activities APEAM and the professional associations of architects and engineers of roads, canals and ports. This was agreed at the tender of the technical assistance contract for the wording of the basic project and of the construction project of the building, published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), in its edition of the 19th of March. This technical committee will participate in the election of the best proposal. Then, the APB will commission the construction project of the maritime station to the tender's winner. The project will include the improvements designed by the technical committee, with the aim of getting an agreement in the design of the maritime station, not only regarding its integration in the port and in Ibiza, but also regarding those aspects related to the needs of the passengers, the ships and other companies providing services. Once the wording of the construction project of Botafoc maritime station finishes, the APB will open a tender process for the construction works and for the station's indirect management. The base tender budget for technical assistance is of 230.000 euros (taxes included) and the deadline for the presentation of offers is the 20th of April 2016.