News APB | Ports de Balears

The ports managed by APB record 14.6 million tonnes of freight in 2016

02/01/2017

The freight traffic statistics for the ports of General Interest in the Balearic Islands state that 14.6 million tonnes passed through the 5 ports managed by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) in 2016. All ports saw an increase in the volume of traffic except for Mahon, which experienced a 4% decrease in relation to 2015. Alcudia and Ibiza experienced the biggest growth with 18% more traffic than the year before, with the Ports of Palma and La Savina increasing by 8% and 9% respectively. The figures reported relating to the general goods traffic (referring to consumer goods) that passed through the 5 ports of General Interest in the Balearic Islands in 2016 indicate 11.5 million tonnes, 10% more than in 2015. Alcudia increased by 18%, Ibiza 13%, La Savina 11% and Palma 9%. Mahon is yet again the only port that did not see any growth, showing a 5% reduction in its traffic volume with regards to 2015. Referring to solid bulk cargo only (coal, grain, salt and construction materials), we can see how Ibiza, Palma and Alcudia increased their traffic volume by 145%, 29% and 21%, while Mahon and La Savina saw a 38% and 14% reduction in these materials in comparison to the previous year. Lastly, the traffic volume of liquid bulk cargo (fuel) rose in the Port of Ibiza (33%) and Mahon (4%) but saw a decline in the Ports of Palma (5%) and Alcudia (14%). Further statistical information

APB maintains discounts on sea passenger and freight fees in 2017

01/01/2017

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has decided to maintain the system of reductions and bonuses of its port fees for regular passenger and freight traffic in 2017 as a way of keeping maritime transport through the port more economical and thus minimising the costs of insularity. The APB calculates that its income in 2017 will be reduced by about 16 million euros as a result of applying these bonuses and reductions to its fees. Last December, the APB Board of Directors approved the Port Authority’s Business Plan, which once again includes the same reduction that has been applied in recent years of 30 percent of the passenger port fee and 10 percent of freight fees at the five state ports under its management, in order to provide an incentive to the islands’ economy. In addition, it should be remembered that the APB already applies at its ports the maximum island discounts permitted by law to its fees for maritime services with other ports located outside the archipelago, specifically, 40% on ship and goods fees and, 45% for passenger traffic, and 60% on vehicles under transport. In this regard, the reductions are even greater on inter-island sea routes, where a reduction of 75% in ship fees and 80% in fees paid for goods, passenger and vehicle traffic is applied.

Marina Ibiza extends its concession term

22/12/2016

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) Board of Directors has approved a concession term extension for the Marina Ibiza sports marina, requested by Serveis Marítims Port d’Eivissa S.L. (SEMAR), for a period of 6.8 more years, so that the concession will total more than 23 years, ending in 2031. Marina Ibiza is committed to making an investment of 7.2 million to improving facilities or as a contribution to the Land Connectivity State Fund, which allows Spanish ports to participate in financing connection projects outside of their service area and thus promoting port competitiveness, contributing to transport system sustainability. The City Council of Eivissa, the concessionaire and the APB have agreed that the works and improvements to be developed must be agreed by all three parties and, in any case, must respect the spirit of following negotiations between the City Council of Eivissa and the APB, which stipulates the common future line of work from the beginning of the legislature. This concession term extension process is part of the modification of concessions in the public domain under the tenth transitional provision of the consolidated text from the Law on State Ports and the Merchant Navy, introduced by Law 18/2014. After SEMAR delivered the request within the time period authorised for that purpose, the corresponding application processing and the favourable resolution of the State Ports, the extension was approved yesterday by the APB Board of Directors.

APB committed to water quality in island ports

19/12/2016

For the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB), keeping the water in the ports it manages in good condition continues to be among its top priorities. At present, the Balearic Centre of Applied Biology (CBBA) is responsible for monitoring and controlling the water quality in the 5 ports of general interest in the Balearic Islands. This initiative fulfils Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Union which requires member states to monitor the condition of the water in each river basin. Previous studies indicate that the quality of the water in the ports managed by the APB are ideal and fulfil the European directives, and also that the vast majority of polluting agents come from dirt on the streets of towns, dragged along by rain towards torrents creating what is known as anoxic mud, which sinks and ends up settling at the bottom of the ports. The key aim of this directive is to protect the surface water in estuaries, coasts and groundwater throughout the whole European Union in order to promote sustainable consumption of the resource and ensure improvement in aquatic ecosystems. Spanish ports, together with all other ports in the EU, have been working on introducing environmental requirements with regards to port management since the beginning of the 1990s. The result is ROM 5.1 on the Quality of coastal waters in Port Areas, a regulation that the APB applies and hands over to the CBBA. In this way, ports can contribute to the sustainability of transport by reducing the environmental impacts on ports, implementing improved prevention, control and management of environmental risks and, ultimately, making it easier for ports to meet the requirements of environmental legislation.

Cruise ship tourism logs excellent end of year business

12/12/2016

Cruise ship tourism is anticipating better end-of-year business than the figures recorded for the previous year, contributing to a deseasonalisation of tourism in the Balearic Islands. According to forecasts, this destination is approaching the first season of 2017 with strong prospects. Along these lines, the season at the port of Mahon is coming to a close on 15 December with a total of 22 stopovers for the financial year. The port of Palma is due to end the season on 26 December with 3 cruise ships, welcoming the Norwegian Spirit at the port for the first time. The port of Ibiza saw the season close last Sunday with the arrival of Amadea, operated by the German company Phoenix Reisen. It was the first time that a cruise ship had made a stopover on the island so far on in the year. The port of Alcúdia concluded the season in October with 3 stopovers, compared to zero from the same period of the year before.

The APB bids on the improvement and refurbishment works for the Torreón de Paraires in the Palma cruise port.

05/12/2016

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) has bid on the improvement and refurbishment works for the Palma cruise port’s Torreón de Paraires building, currently in a poor condition. The APB will perform a series of preliminary works to improve the building’s structure, including the demolition of the wall blocking the entrance, cleaning and removal of equipment inside the tower in addition to building the frames and pre-frames of existing wooden windows and chiseling away the plaster on the interior walls down to the original support for its subsequent lining. The project continues with restoration work and stonework, locksmithing, lining, waterproofing, flooring installment and work on the building’s structure. The project will take four months and require a €169,999.72 investment.

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands donates €1,200 to the charity Mallorca Sense Fam

02/12/2016

Today, the president of the Port Authority, Joan Gual de Torrella, presented the chairperson of Mallorca Sense Fam, Catalina Aguiló Picó, with a cheque for €1,200, which was raised by a group of workers from the ports of Palma and Alcúdia to help facilitate the social objectives of the organisation. The APB held a charity lunch for staff from the ports of Palma and Alcúdia and their respective family members on 26 November past. More than 50 people attended the event and enjoyed a full day of butchery, assisting with the preparation of the cold meat. All of the money raised through the sale of the sobrasadas and camaiots has gone to charity. This is the second charitable event held. Funds raised from the first event were donated to Sonrisa Médica.

7th APB Painting and Photography Competition Prizewinners

01/12/2016

The prizewinner list of the 7th Painting and Photography Competition, organised by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) in collaboration with the Círculo de Bellas Artes of Palma, has been released. Once again, the competition has been a great success, as is becoming customary, receiving over one hundred works, which were divided into three categories: watercolour, other painting techniques and photography. The works that were carefully selected from those submitted will be on display at the Military History &amp Culture Centre of Palma from Friday 2 December until Friday 6 January. The works can also be seen in Ibiza and Menorca at a later date, which has yet to be confirmed. The prizewinners of the 7th edition are as follows: Watercolour: 1st Prize: 31 METROS SOBRE EL MAR by Carolina Adán Caro. €2,000 2nd Prize:ARRIVAN A PORT, EIVISSA by Josep Plaja López. €1,000 3rd Prize:FI DE JORNADA AL MOLL VELL, PALMA by Agnieszka Midera. €500 Honorary mention:AIXÒ S’EMBRUTA by Ángela Grijelmo Petrement Other painting techniques: 1st Prize: FUNDIDO NARANJA by Pedro de Villota. €2,000 2nd Prize:EL VETERANO by Marta Castro Cor. €1,000 3rd Prize:FARO D’EN POU by Miguel Ángel Guerreiro. €500 Honorary mention:PORT DE PALMA by Josep Plaja López Photography: 1st Prize: L’EMBRUIX by Marisa Naredo Medina. €800 2nd Prize: GRÚAS by Sebastià Terrassa. €400 3rd Prize: LA LUZ SOBRE EL FARO DE LA RIBA by Miguel Morey Colomina. €300 Honorary mention: REFLEXE D’UN PASSAT, PRESENT I FUTUR by Encarnación Morales Garcia For the seventh consecutive year, the APB has sponsored this competition dedicated to the lighthouses of the Balearic Islands and to the ports of general interest of Palma, Alcudia, Mahon, Ibiza and La Savina, using art to show the public the places that arouse such interest.

Publication of Port of Ibiza DEUP proposal

30/11/2016

Spain's Official State Gazette (BOE) today published the notice from the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) with regards to the Delimitation of Port Spaces and Uses (DEUP) proposal by the port of Ibiza. On 26 October, the APB Board of Directors passed the motion to give its acceptance after processing the port of Ibiza's new DEUP proposal. DEUP proposals are instruments included in Article 69 of the Consolidated Text of the Law on State Ports and the Merchant Navy with the aim of arranging port space according to its needs. This proposal replaces the one that was initially accepted by the same Board of Directors on 26 February 2015. The document had to be re-adapted with the new uses proposed for the fisherman's wharf and the commercial quays in the agreement reached last August by the Government of the Balearic Islands, Formentera Island Council, Ibiza Council, the City Council of Ibiza and the APB to relocate the future marine traffic terminal between the ports of Ibiza and La Savina. This document is available to the public at the APB offices in Palma (Muelle Viejo, 3-5) and at the port of Ibiza (Acceso Muelle Norte, s/n.) from Monday to Friday 9am to 2pm, as well as online at www.portsdebalears.com, and as many statements and observations as deemed necessary may be submitted within forty-five working days from the day after its publication in the Official State Gazette (BOE).

FIRST APB ORDINANCE REGARDING OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY APPROVED

29/11/2016

The APB has approved the port ordinance which sets out the coordination plan concerning business activities in the areas of restricted access in port service areas. It is the first ordinance to be approved by the APB and is also the pioneering ordinance on this subject published by one of the 28 port authorities that exist in Spain. A fact that reflects the importance the public body places on prevention and the occupational health and safety of employees. This ordinance affects all business activities carried out in the port areas with restricted access in the ports managed by the APB (Palma, Alcudia, Mahon, Ibiza and La Savina) and the employees who perform the work. This coordination task has been carried out since 2009 and is now officially regulated. The main coordination tasks include approval of the companies involved, authorisation of the activities they are to carry out, information and dissemination of the risks in port areas where work is to be undertaken, the risks that this work will entail for the adjacent areas and information management, among others. In this way, the safety of port activities is ensured by fulfilling the legally established precepts set out in Royal Decree 171/04, of 30 January, which implements Article 24 of Law 31/1995, of 8 November, on the Prevention of Occupational Hazards, regarding the coordination of business activities ("BOE" [Official State Gazette] ]no. 27, 31-01-2004).

Port of Maó to have yacht charter marina

28/11/2016

The APB will put out a tender for the management of mooring slots for rented boats at the Levante docks of the south side of the Port of Maó. The Board of Directors has approved the terms that will govern the public tender for this concession which, in addition, will guarantee water and electricity supply to the boats, as well as those proposed by the successful bidder. Having analysed the appropriateness of this project, the APB has decided to go ahead with this marina, which is in keeping with its bid to strengthen this sector in all the ports of general interest it manages and, in particular, that of Maó. Additionally, it will lead to an operational surface area of 6,901 square metres which, in its entirety, corresponds to the water surface used for mooring. 462 square metres of area of influence on land will also be used for walkways, street furniture, signalling and other necessary works and installations in order to use the mooring areas. Service will only be provided for boats of the sixth schedule, that is to say, rentals or yacht charters, in the facilities relating to this tender. The bidder will make a proposal for the number and dimensions of the boats and their arrangement in the allocated space. The annual occupancy fee to outbid is 47,030.66 euros and the maximum term for the concession is twelve years.

The APB and the Council of Mallorca share knowledge on the functioning of the APB's Electronic Administration

24/11/2016

The Council of Mallorca recently visited the APB headquarters in order to find out more about the implementation of the new entry and exit log tool, REGWEB3. This log complies with the SICRES3 regulation and enables electronic log entries to be shared among the Public Administrations through the SIR (Integrated Record System). In addition, the members of the Council of Mallorca took the opportunity to find out more about the Electronic Administration initiatives the APB is implementing in order to comply with Laws 39/2015 and 40/2015: electronic notifications, the implementation of the Electronic Filing and Document Management System, the ENS (National Security Framework) Adjustment Plan and Electronic Procurement, among others. These tools also help to enhance the digitisation of public administration, reduce the use of paper and achieve more fluid communication with other administrations.