News APB | Ports de Balears

The APB and the Mahon City Council extend the areas for pedestrians and outdoor cafés and restaurants at the Port of Mahon

08/06/2020

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) and the Mahon City Council have set aside 5,000 square metres on the Levante and Poniente quay road at the Port of Mahon for pedestrians and outdoor cafés and restaurants. The aim is to extend the space available for pedestrians to enjoy a stroll, as well as to revitalise business at the cafés and restaurants at the Port of Mahon. This morning, the APB Chairman, Joan Gual de Torrella, and the Mayor of Mahon, Héctor Pons, presented the details of this project, which will be implemented from today onwards in the stretch between Costa de Corea and Costa de Ses Voltes (Rochina). The road will become one-way from east to west in this area. The removal of one lane will provide extra space for outdoor cafés and restaurants, as well as for pedestrians. Sustainable traffic The APB is taking this measure, in agreement with the Town Council, within the framework of the Mahon Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, approved in December 2019. This Plan envisages a series of changes in road directions in order to divert traffic away from the most congested areas in the city and move towards more rational and sustainable mobility. Despite the one-way traffic limitation, the number of car parking spaces at the port is being maintained, with 15 spaces being moved to the Costa de Corea. In addition, 80 new parking spaces for motorcycles and bicycles are being created, and vehicles will still be able to park at the cruise ship passenger terminal, which has space for up to 200 vehicles. Ports and COVID-19 During the state of alarm and with the beginning of the different phases of the transition to the new normality, it has become clear that the ports managed by the APB are a point of reference for the cities' residents. This fact has been demonstrated by the large numbers of people who have used the port areas during this period and who continue to use them to do sport, go for a walk or sit at the outdoor cafés and restaurants located in these areas. The APB has also launched similar initiatives, such as the one unveiled today in the Port of Mahon, in the ports of Ibiza and Palma, in coordination with their local councils.

Palma City Council and the APB sign a joint agreement to redevelop the seafront promenade

29/05/2020

The Palma City Council and the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) have signed a joint agreement to redevelop the Palma seafront promenade. The agreement sets out the commitments that need to be complied with by both parties and states that the APB will be in charge of the works to redevelop the promenade, whilst the Palma City Council will be in charge of its upkeep. The plenary session of the City Council yesterday gave the go-ahead to the agreement, which had already been approved by the APB's Board of Directors. The next step is to transfer it to the Spanish Ministry of Finance for ratification. It will come into force once it is published in the Spanish Official State Gazette (BOE). The agreement was presented by the Mayor of Palma, José Hila the APB Chairman, Joan Gual de Torrella the Councillor for Urban Development, Housing and Sustainability, Neus Truyol, and the Councillor for Infrastructure and Accessibility, Angélica Pastor. According to the Mayor, "it is a very ambitious redevelopment project which will transform the seafront of Palma, breaking down the existing barriers and bringing the city of Palma closer to the sea". He continued by stating that, "it is a clear example of the Palma that we want to see: more sustainable, greener, closer to the sea and with citizens playing a central role. The redevelopment will also reactivate trade in the area and generate employment, which are also fundamental issues". The APB Chairman sees this project as a contribution made by the port to the city, which, "beyond the economic aspect, strengthens its commitment to port-city integration in which citizens take the leading role, regardless of which government agency builds the stage". Commitments Once the agreement comes into force, the City Council will be in charge of the maintenance, conservation and management of the area owned by the APB, which will involve a yearly cost initially estimated at €1,046,006.84. By performing these tasks, the Council will offset the payment of €1,199,086.61corresponding to work carried out on municipal land and €3,180,626.68 corresponding to work requested by the City Council to improve municipally-owned facilities. It will also be responsible for any expenses that are generated such as water and energy consumption (lighting), urban furniture and surveillance services, during the term of the agreement. The Council also undertakes to speed up the granting of the licences, authorisations and permits required to carry out the work. It also pledges to guarantee access to the port facilities and the flow of port road traffic, though this will be exceptional and limited. In turn, the APB undertakes to carry out and pay for the improvement and redevelopment of the promenade. It will also be in charge of handling and managing any occupancy of port land, generally for outdoor cafés and restaurants. It will also pay the City Council annually for the maintenance and conservation of its property, with the aim of achieving a sustainable balance in terms of the economic benefits obtained by both parties. This payment will be made once the works carried out on municipal land and those requested by the Council have been completed. The current agreement replaces the previous arrangement and adds the redevelopment and improvement project. A Monitoring Committee will be set up to coordinate the development of the text and will be made up of three members from each body. The agreement will have a duration of four years from its publication in the Spanish Official State Gazette (BOE) and may be extended and renewed under the terms established by law. Project The JAMLET-TYPSA joint venture is currently drafting the construction project for the works and the APB hopes to tender the work in 2020. The promenade redevelopment project involves working on a surface area of 169,010 square metres. The estimated budget is €32,495,572.26.

The Port of Palma sets aside one lane of the seafront promenade for pedestrians and outdoor cafés and restaurants

22/05/2020

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has decided to set aside one lane of the seafront promenade in the Port of Palma for pedestrians and outdoor cafés and restaurants, with the dual purpose of supporting the economic recovery of the hospitality industry and also facilitating social distancing, which is one of the measures adopted by the Spanish Government to alleviate the negative effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Monday 25th May, the right-hand lane of the seafront promenade going out of the city, between Calle Monseñor Palmer and Portopí, will be closed to traffic. The extra space gained by closing this lane will be used to give more space to outdoor cafés and restaurants and widen pavements, while vehicle traffic will still have two lanes available. The operation will be carried out in three stages. The first section, between calle Monseñor Palmer and S'Aigua Dolça, will separate road traffic from the outdoor cafés and restaurants with concrete New Jersey barriers, in order to protect the physical safety of the customers sitting at these establishments. On the second section, between S'Aigua Dolça and Ca'n Barbarà, the space used for parking cars will be moved by one lane. Finally, the right-hand lane of the last section, between Ca'n Barbarà and the Paraires tower, will be used for vehicles to park one behind another, freeing up all the space currently used for parking perpendicular to the kerb. The work to add the traffic lane closest to the pavement to increase the pedestrian area will be completed in two weeks. In addition to the safety barriers, plastic bollards will be installed and road signs will be changed to mark the new area. Confluence of interests The APB has recently received requests from business associations and from restaurants and companies offering night-time entertainment to extend the outdoor areas they use in the APB areas on the Port of Palma's promenade. These requests are aimed at compensating the reduction in outdoor seating capacity imposed to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus. On the other hand, closing this lane to traffic is in line with the project that the APB plans to carry out in the next few months to redesign Palma's seafront promenade, which involves providing more pedestrian areas in the port for leisure activities. The project is currently being drafted and is being studied by the City Council's experts. Finally, extending the port area to gain more pavement space and more room for outdoor cafés and restaurants coincides with the measure promoted by the City Council to open up urban spaces to pedestrians and shops to the detriment of vehicles. These include the road on the sea side of Palma's seafront promenade.

APB acquires 20 hand-held thermal imaging cameras and one thermal imaging camera for large groups of people for health control in ports

14/05/2020

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has acquired a total of 20 hand-held thermal imaging cameras and one thermal imaging camera for large groups. These cameras are being used in the passenger health checks that the Balearic Government is carrying out in the Islands' public ports, in partnership with the Red Cross. These cameras began to be deployed on Monday, replacing the temperature guns and digital thermometers that had previously been used. Checks are being carried out on passengers in the arrival areas of the scheduled ferry services at the ports of Palma, Alcudia, Mahon and Ibiza. Checks on passengers bound for La Savina are carried out in the boarding area of the Port of Ibiza. The thermal imaging camera for large groups will be installed at the Port of Ibiza, the APB-managed port that handles the largest number of scheduled ferry passengers.

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands reduces fees for outdoor café and restaurants to the legal minimum

08/05/2020

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has already begun talking to companies in the hospitality industry to terminate the licences authorising the occupancy of public port land with tables and chairs for their outdoor cafés and restaurants, by mutual agreement, so that fees no longer accrue. These occupancy licences were in force at the time the state of alarm was declared and the cafés and restaurants had to stop trading. Businesses wishing to open and use these outdoor areas, once the Transition Plan to a New Normality (PTNN) authorises them to do so, will be granted new licences, with preferential terms and conditions, as the required charge will be reduced to the legal minimum. In addition, in establishments where there is enough room to do so, extending these outdoor seating areas will be looked into. This will make it easier to adapt these areas to the new constraints imposed by health and social distancing requirements. The withdrawal of the licences as of the day the state of alarm came into effect is the only way to stop companies from continuing to accrue fees, even though they have not been able to open for business. Spanish Royal Decree-Law 15/2020, of 21st April, on additional urgent measures to support the economy and employment, does not provide for fee exemptions. Therefore, at its last meeting, the APB Board of Directors agreed to withdraw the current occupancy licences, if authorised companies request this. These measures will have a significant impact on reducing the fees that companies will have to pay in the public ports of Palma, Alcudia, Mahon, Ibiza and La Savina in 2020. They are also the result of continuous talks between the APB, the business community, the State-owned Ports Body and local, island and regional governments in an attempt to mitigate the negative consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic as far as possible. Other aid available to companies In addition to this measure, the APB has temporarily suspended the issuing of invoices for occupancy and activity charges for all its concessionaires and authorised companies. Although these charges are normally paid in advance at the beginning of the year, to date no fees have been invoiced for 2020. This means that no concessionaire or authorised company has yet paid any amounts in this respect. In addition, the APB is already approving interest-free payment plans, without the need for collateral, for concessionaires who are having difficulty making payments that were already due before the state of alarm was declared. In addition to all these measures the APB is already implementing, such as the reduction of the activity charge, the temporary suspension of the payment of port charges, the approval of payment plans, the advance withdrawal of licences to use public port land for outdoor cafés and restaurants, other cuts in fees have been approved by the State-owned Ports Body to support the economy and bolster employment, which will mean savings of over €100 million for companies operating in Spanish state-owned ports.

The APB and Mahon City Council agree to restrict road traffic in the port of Mahon in favour of pedestrian use

07/05/2020

This weekend, vehicle access to the Poniente quay road, in the Port of Mahon, will be restricted to residents living in the area. This will increase the amount of space available for pedestrians and will prevent crowds from forming, thus reducing the risk of Covid-19 contagion. This measure, proposed by the Mahon City Council, will initially be implemented between Friday 8th and Sunday 10th May. Road access between the Costa de Rochina and the Costa de Corea will be restricted on Friday from 8pm to 11pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 6am to 10am and from 8pm to 11pm. During phase 0 of the de-escalation period, there have been large numbers of people walking around the port during the leisure time slots allocated to the over-14 age groups. In this regard, the Mahon City Council, in coordination with the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB), has decided to extend the amount of space available to pedestrians as well as to restrict vehicle traffic in this area and in other areas that come under municipal jurisdiction. Institutional coordination The APB coincides with the Mahon City Council on this issue and is aware that the appeal of the port means that a considerable number of people gravitate to the area to do sport or go for a walk, especially at weekends. This fact, combined with the usual vehicle traffic on this stretch, leads to a build-up of people on the waterfront that is not recommended at present. In this sense, the City Council maintains the recommendations of the last municipal ruling regarding the movement of people in public areas. This states that people should all move along the right-hand side of the road, in the same direction as the road traffic, to prevent unnecessary contact with oncoming pedestrians. The APB joins the City Council in thanking the local residents for their cooperation and calls for them to be responsible when it comes to going outside. It also concurs with the Council in that if progress is to be made, it is essential to continue with the social discipline that the vast majority of the people of Mahon have shown over the last few weeks.

The APB restricts road traffic in the Port of Ibiza in favour of pedestrian use

05/05/2020

The Port of Ibiza will be closing off to vehicle traffic the stretch of road between the Formentera ferry passenger terminal and the offices of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) between eight in the evening and eleven at night, so that local residents can use this area to go for a walk and do sport during the current de-escalation period and whilst it is compatible with port operations. The measure has been taken with the consensus of the Ibiza Yacht Club, shipping companies, dockers and other port agents operating in the area. Since Saturday 2nd May, the Port of Ibiza has become a meeting point for citizens of all ages to enjoy their leisure time in the time slots approved by the Spanish Government as part of the Plan for the Transition to a New Normality (PTNN) during which people can go out for a walk and do sport. From today onwards, the Port of Ibiza will be closing this section of the road that runs parallel to Avenida de Santa Eulària des Riu to vehicle traffic to facilitate, extend and ensure safety and social distancing. For the same reason, the usual timetable for access to the Marina promenade for loading and unloading goods has been changed to seven to eleven in the morning and from four to six in the afternoon, prohibiting road traffic for the rest of the day.

The noise sensors deployed by the APB pick up port tributes to the health workers fighting the Covid-19 virus

05/05/2020

As in almost all inhabited areas in Spain, the applause for health workers at eight o'clock in the evening have become a daily event in the Balearic Islands' public ports. In this case, local residents are joined by the crews on the ships berthed in the ports. This phenomenon has been confirmed by the noise pollution sensors deployed by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB), in which the applause for those who are fighting the Covid-19 virus can be clearly heard at 8pm. In the case of the ports, the sound of applause and sirens from the emergency vehicles in the city is added to by the noise of the horns on the ships berthed in the docks, which are sounded by the confined crew or shipowners. The most visible example of this phenomenon can be found in the Port of Palma. The recordings of the last few weeks appear are shown on a graph in which the noise peak at eight o'clock in the evening can be clearly and regularly heard, in most cases exceeding 70 decibels, when during the rest of the day the levels are between 40 and 60 decibels. The noise sensor referred to in this graph is located on the roof of the APB's offices, that is, near the houses in the historic quarter of the city and the boats docked at the Moll Vell quay. The sharp contrast in the registers is due to the limited activity recorded in the ports in recent weeks – which are therefore quieter than usual – compared to the applause of residents and ships’ horns at 8 pm. Ibiza, Mahon and La Savina The noise sensors that the APB has installed in the ports of Ibiza, Mahon and La Savina have also recorded the spontaneous tribute of local inhabitants, albeit not as clearly as in the case of Palma. In the Port of Ibiza, the sensor located at the beginning of the Botafoc road shows peaks every day at 8pm that reach and sometimes exceed 75 decibels, although they are not as regular as in the Port of Palma. In the case of the Port of Mahon, the sensor located in the Cós Nou also picks up the sound of the tributes to the health workers, but it is not as clear as it is mixed with the noise of ferries entering and leaving the port. The same occurs in the Port of La Savina where the dominant sound at 8 pm is that of ships' horns, since the town is quite far from the noise sensor, but this is distorted in the graph by other unidentified port activities. This phenomenon has not taken place in the Port of Alcudia, since the houses are quite far away from the quays and the commercial docks are usually empty at eight o'clock in the evening.

The APB joins the ICS initiative for 1st May and will sound the horns of the Portopí and Botafoc lighthouses

29/04/2020

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has joined the initiative promoted by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and has pledged to sound the horns of the Portopí lighthouse in the Port of Palma and the Botafoc lighthouse in the Port of Ibiza on 1st May in recognition of the work of the shipping industry and seafarers. The ICS communications department is encouraging captains from all over the world to sound the sirens of ships that are berthed in port (as long as it is safe to do so) on 1st May at 12 noon local time to celebrate Labour Day. The APB has sent this invitation to the shipping companies and facilities that operate in the public ports of Palma, Alcudia, Mahon, Ibiza and La Savina, and has agreed to sound the Portopí and Botafoc horns for five minutes. In many countries around the world, 1st May is recognised as International Workers' Day. This is a day that is used to celebrate and recognise the contribution of workers around the world and at this very difficult time globally, as a result of Covid-19, the ICS would like to draw attention to the contribution of seafarers to our society through this global initiative. Other public-sector (State-owned Ports Body) and private-sector (ANAVE) shipping industry organisations have been informing port authorities, members and shipping industry facilities about this initiative. According to the ICS, there are more than 1.2 million seafarers currently working to ensure that food, fuel and supplies continue to be delivered worldwide.

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands begins maintenance work on the Ca'n Barbarà bridge in the Port of Palma

24/04/2020

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) is to renew the road surface on the Ca'n Barbarà bridge heading towards Andratx, in the Port of Palma, on Monday 27th April. The work will run through to 9th May. A lane will be kept open at all times for road traffic. This is the second phase of the project to renew the road surface on the bridge that runs along the Avenida del Ingeniero Gabriel Roca, which is part of Palma's seafront promenade. The first part of the work, which consisted of renewing the tarmac on the side of the road heading towards Palma, was carried out at the end of 2019. The budget allocated to this APB project is €65,000 and is part of the maintenance contract for road surfaces and cycle lanes in the port of Palma awarded to the company Aglomsa, for a maximum of four years, and with an estimated budget of around €350,000. The work starting next week will employ an average of five workers per day.

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands suspends the occupancy and activity charges for its concessionaires and authorised companies

21/04/2020

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has temporarily suspended the occupancy and activity charges normally paid by all of its concessionaires and authorised companies, while the state of alarm decreed by the Spanish Government to manage the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 is still in force. In addition, the APB has gone one step further and has automatically withdrawn the licences in force authorising the occupancy of public port land with tables and chairs for outdoor cafés and restaurants. This measure is especially targeted at businesses, such as this type of establishments, which are not allowed to open as a result of Spanish Royal Decree 463/2020, of 14 March, declaring the state of alarm. This advance, ex officio withdrawal of these licences means that, while the state of alarm lasts or their activities are not allowed to resume, these companies will not have to pay any fees. In a memorandum sent to its customers, the APB also pointed out that “even before the state of alarm was declared, the port authority had not invoiced any occupancy or activity charges for 2020, even though these charges are normally paid in advance”. This means that no concessionaire or authorised company has yet paid any amounts in this respect. Financial aid for companies In addition, the APB is already approving payment plans for concessionaires who are having difficulty making payments that were already due before the state of alarm was declared. These measures are being taken by the port authority in the five public ports it manages to "alleviate the difficult situation" that its concessionaires and authorised companies are going through. In addition to these measures that the APB is already implementing, such as the temporary suspension of the payment of port charges, the approval of payment plans, the advance withdrawal of licences to use public port land for outdoor cafés and restaurants, other measures adopted by the Central Government may be taken to help ports in the light of the crisis caused by the Covid-19 virus.

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands thanks the islands’ inhabitants for staying at home while its ports and lighthouses operate to guarantee supplies

15/04/2020

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) would like to thank the islands’ inhabitants for staying at home in an attempt to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus. The APB has paid its tribute in a video that reminds us that the islands' ports and lighthouses continue to operate to ensure basic supplies. Thus, the APB acknowledges the efforts people are making to stay at home. The inhabitants, in turn, are safe in the knowledge that they are being supplied with all the essential products they need, such as food, medicines and other basic commodities. The video, entitled "For the Islands, For You, For Everyone", also recognises the essential role played by the ports and lighthouses in this crisis, as well as the ongoing dedication of the port community, such as shipping companies, hauliers, stevedoring and mooring services, pilots, government officials and fishermen, in ensuring supplies for the islands' inhabitants. The APB has sent 42% of its staff to work from home, in addition to establishing minimum services and setting up rapid response teams to ensure that the five public ports of Palma, Alcudia, Mahon, Ibiza and La Savina are managed efficiently, as they are an essential part of the logistics chain for supplying the Balearic Islands’ population.