News APB | Ports de Balears

The APB guarantees moorings for small pleasure craft at the El Molinar dock

22/11/2023

The Board of Directors of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has agreed at its last meeting, held yesterday in Palma, to select Nautic Assets Developers Team, S.L. as the most advantageous solution in the public tender for the concession to manage the moorings for small boats of up to eight metres in length at the El Molinar dock. The tender specifications established an initial occupancy tax of 58,500 euros per year and an activity tax of 4% of turnover. In addition, Nautic Assets Developers Team have proposed a fixed annual amount of 68,000 euros to supplement the occupancy and activity fees. The future concessionaire will invest 672,000 euros to install new jetties and other facilities and will manage the concession for a term of 18 years. It will also take over the building, which will host a bar-cafeteria-restaurant on the ground floor and social and cultural activities on the first floor. The decision fulfils APB's commitment to maintaining the dimensions of El Molinar and the type of boats moored there, improving the integration between the port and the city, strengthening the port's sports facilities and continuing to offer subsidised moorings. Training centre Within the same dock, a 2,500 square metre area, known as Caló d'en Rigo, is occupied by newly constructed 600 square metre building, along with an esplanade and dry dock ramp that has been ceded to the Government of the Balearic Islands for the future construction of a marine sports training centre. The APB is currently waiting to receive the building project from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports. In regard to the building in the El Molinar marina, the refurbishment works are due for completion next spring. As it stands, the APB has already completed the slowest phase of strengthening the structure and has now begun to put the new installations in place. From the outset, the APB's intention has been to conserve the structure of the historic building, taking into account the urban planning conditions stipulated in the Special Plan for the Port of Palma, as well as the building's significant historical heritage and construction style. The actual state of the structure – which was much worse than expected – led to a slowdown in the works and forced an increase in the budget to 1.2 million euros. Lastly, the APB will soon put out to tender, as a matter of urgency, the contract to dredge the seabed of the El Molinar dock to extract the 1,400 cubic metres of rock and sand that have been awaiting removal since the completion of the works in 2020.

Port-city Transport and infrastructure

New landscaped area with shade and seating on the Ribera Quay in the Port of Ibiza

20/11/2023

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has begun work to renovate the area around the storm tank on the Ribera Quay in the Port of Ibiza as part of an overarching project to improve the integration between the port and the city, upgrade the surroundings, and provide new spaces for the public. The initiative is intended to enhance the attractiveness of the space around the storm tank, which was installed by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge and is managed by the Balearic Islands’ Water and Environmental Quality Agency (ABAQUA). Specifically, green spaces made up of large planters filled with foliage will be created in the area close to the Gent de la Mar monument. Elsewhere on the quay, modular concrete benches will be installed to form a large raised bed that will be planted with native shrubs, and three metal-framed pergolas with wooden roofs will be added to provide more shade for the area, along with other urban fixtures and fittings, such as litter bins. The project has a budget of 227,718.12 euros plus VAT and is scheduled for completion by the 1st of March 2024.

Port-city

More than 8.5 tonnes of waste removed from Eivissa port waters over the last three years

03/11/2023

Since the launch of a special water surface cleaning service in October 2020, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB as per its Spanish acronym) has collected 8.5 tonnes of waste from Eivissa port's waters. The port has three energy self-sufficient, cutting-edge vessels which maintain the water surface clean, while promoting carbon footprint reduction. From October 2020 to July 2023, 4,500 kilos (53%) of the nearly 8,500 kilos of waste removed from Eivissa port waters is refuse-type material (paper, wood and others), while 2,300 kilos (27%) of the waste is organic. Plastics made up 1,700 kilos, just over 20 percent of the total amount collected. By way of illustration, the amount of plastics collected over this period of time from Eivissa port waters would fill 28 igloo-type street recycling containers. Sorting by origin For the first time, this innovative waste collection system makes it possible to determine where the waste arriving at Eivissa port comes from. As such, the data show that the majority, almost 40%, is land-based. This normally refers to waste which is blown into the port waters by the wind or which has been intentionally dumped. 24% of the waste originates offshore, which includes material that been carried by wind or currents into the sheltered waters of the port. This may come from ships or from other land-based areas outside the port. Waste from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) comes in third place, with more than 19%. This is represented by waste from the sewage network or from existing wastewater treatment plants that flow into the port and cause unpleasant odours. Around 16% of the waste collected comes from recreational boating, and finally 4 % is generated by fishing activities. Three vessels Patena Pitiusas is the company in charge of cleaning an area of approximately 818,000 square metres of water surface in Eivissa port and 53,000 square metres in La Savina port. The cleaning equipment has three energy self-sufficient vessels. One of them is equipped with a large hydraulic central scoop, which can pick up objects ranging from 10 millimetres to one tonne. The second is a fast-action hybrid inflatable dinghy. The fleet is enhanced by a two-metre surface cleaning drone and a 250-litre marine waste collection basket with an 8-hour operating time, designed to reach the most difficult-to-access areas between jetties and boats.

Environment and CSR Technology and innovation

Three APB projects for air quality improvement in ports recognised as European success stories

27/10/2023

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) port air quality monitoring and improvement projects were presented as success stories at the 13th PIANC Mediterranean Days international congress. Air quality monitoring, electrical ship connection and satellite pollution detection are showcased as digital transition examples for ports on a European scale. The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC) organised this congress in the French town of Sète from 25-27 October under the title “Port of the Future”. The congress technical committee chose three presentations from the APB to show them to the professionals who work in the most technologically advanced ports in Europe and North Africa. Jorge Martín, head of Quality, Environment, Innovation and CSR at APB, said that this presence at PIANC's Mediterranean Days international congress “is a European recognition of APB's strategic and environmental policy.” Port sensors The first of APB's three innovative projects designed to improve port air quality is the air quality monitoring system and the smart environmental platform for real-time air pollution monitoring in the ports of Palma, Alcúdia, Maó, Eivissa and La Savina. This project includes rolling out 25 monitoring stations at port facilities. In fact, it was recently awarded the international prize for the best air quality monitoring network at the 2022 Air Quality &amp Emission (AQE) trade fair. The APB has been working since 2016 to improve a digital platform based on the principle that what cannot be measured cannot be managed. Today, this platform provides real-time air quality data and alerts to identify pollution hotspots at the five public ports it manages and to calculate the back trajectories of any pollutant identified by the sensors. Cold Ironing is another project that is already a reality in the port of Palma, which refers to connecting ships to shoreside electrical power at berth. This system makes it possible to supply low and medium voltage electricity to ships docking at the quay closest to the city of Palma, which reduces gas and noise emissions while the ship is docked. It represents the first medium-voltage connection of its kind in Spain. European funds have been obtained thanks to this first project to electrify five more docks, two in the port of Eivissa, one more in the port of Palma, one in Alcúdia and another in Maó. The work is valued at approximately 12 million euros, forty per cent of which will be subsidised by European funds. Satellite control Lastly, the EIFFEL project is an EU-funded innovative venture that uses satellite imagery to proactively detect pollution spikes by cross-checking it with information obtained in situ from port activity. APB's sensor network measurements are used to calibrate these images and provide air quality data that is not only limited to the port of Palma but encompasses the entire island of Mallorca. The team representing the APB at PIANC's Med Days international congress was made up of Jorge Martín, Head of Quality, Environment, Innovation and CSR, Cristina Alburquerque, Head of Environment, and Rafael Grau and Borja Zamácola, Heads of Infrastructures. PIANC is a politically neutral non-profit organisation established in 1885, whose mission is to pool international expertise in innovation applied to the sustainability of marine infrastructures, with a strong focus on combating climate change and promoting respect for nature.

Environment and CSR Transport and infrastructure

The APB has been named the third most transparent port authority by Dyntra

25/10/2023

In an effort to comply with and step up its commitment to managing the general interest ports and lighthouses of the Balearic Islands more transparently, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) today presented its new Transparency Portal to the public. The launch of the website comes after the Dyntra platform rated the APB as the third most transparent port authority in the Spanish port system, behind Castellón and Valencia. The president of the APB, Javier Sanz, welcomed the assessment and expressed his expectation of further improvement in the transparency indicators during his term of office. In this context, he stressed the importance of deepening relations with stakeholders. "We have to listen to people, because that's what really matters", he remarked, "and the APB has to incentivise the companies who work with us to invest in sustainability by offering them advantages such as reduced fees and other benefits". In the latest transparency report on the Spanish port authorities compiled by the Dyntra platform, the APB obtained a score of 51.2% by complying with 64 of the 125 indicators, which are based on the legal framework and proposed best practices for transparency in the management of ports on a national and international scale. Meanwhile, another transparency evaluation system, Mesta, assessed the APB as having met 96 per cent of the indicators. Both Dyntra and Mesta are dedicated to assessing and comparing the transparency of public institutions at a national and international level through a set of indicators and metrics aimed at rating the level of openness and accountability of these institutions. Sustainability report The public unveiling of the APB's Transparency Portal took place during an event that saw the presentation of the 2022 Sustainability Report to the port community, as well as the environmental innovation projects subsidised by the PUERTOS 4.0 fund: PORTNET,

Environment and CSR

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) organises the first edition of the Port of Palma Open Day

25/09/2023

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) is organising the first edition of the Port of Palma Open Day on Saturday 30 September, with a series of free activities for all ages. Numerous port community members have been heavily involved in this event, and other ports are planning to host it in the future. Activities that will be offered by the APB and up to 27 collaborating companies and institutions this coming Saturday, in the morning and afternoon, include access to port areas normally closed to the public, such as the shipyards or the fishing dock, excursions in pleasure boats, group and nautical sports, environmental and marine knot workshops, falconry exhibitions, documentary films on marine sustainability, storytelling, and many more. All the information has been compiled on the Viu el Port website! The event, under the title Port &amp Festa-Viu el port! Is an initiative arising from a desire to strengthen the relationship between the APB and the city, to raise awareness of the importance of port activities and to bring the port and its facilities closer to the public.Javier Sanz, president of the APB, sees it as an extraordinary opportunity to highlight how important the ports are for the islands and to promote the APB's image as the managing body of the ports serving the community. Various venues The Open Day has several locations and includes activities open to the public, all of which are free of charge. Most of the activities will take place at the Muelle Viejo quay, which will be the focal point of the event. For the most part, activities will take place in the morning from 11am to 2pm, although both the Muelle Viejo quay and the Muelle de Golondrinas quay will also have activities in the afternoon until the evening. The Open Day will be inaugurated at 12:45pm at the Muelle Viejo quay by Javier Sanz, APB's President, and Jaime Martínez, the Mayor of Palma. In the morning, there will be activities for the youngest visitors, such as storytelling, sports activities, 360° videos of the APB ports, regional dance exhibitions, etc. In the evening, the closing ceremony of the Wipe Out Festival 2023: surfing and sustainability in Palma will take place, with live music and short films related to surfing, sustainability, and marine environment preservation. The APB's institutional headquarters, the Port Centre, will host talks related to the New Seafront Promenade project, job opportunities in the nautical world and family-friendly environmental workshops. The Palma Fire Brigade and the Local Police will set up a space on camino de la Escollera to showcase their vehicles and teach children how to drive on a road safety education circuit. STP will open its shipyard doors to the public and the Museu Marítim de Mallorca (Maritime Museum of Mallorca) will show the work done by the Council of Mallorca in Ses Voltes del Parc de la Mar to preserve and share its maritime heritage accumulated over the centuries and up to the present day. The Balear fishing boat from the Mallorcan Council's mestres d'aixa workshop and the SOCIB vessel can be visited at the Lonja quay, where the Port Police will be showcasing its fleet of electric vehicles and raising awareness about the work carried out by APB staff. The San Pedro Fishermen's Guild will also open its Fishing Quay so that the public can have a closer look at its vessels. In the San Telmo gardens, the RCNP is organising an activity workshop to give children an introduction to the exciting world of sailing, while the IME is organising Zumba and fitness sessions. Astilleros de Mallorca is organising guided tours of its facilities at Contramuelle-Mollet. Daytime and evening activities The Muelle de Golondrinas quay, together with the Muelle Viejo quay, is another place where the activities will extend into the evening. While in the morning you can take a ride on a pleasure boat and María Bimbolles will entertain the little ones with her show, at midday there will be a modern dance exhibition by the Show Academia J&ampS Música dance school. At night, the space will become a stage dedicated to live music by Radio Mallorca - Cadena SER. Club de Mar will be running introductory workshops on canoeing and maritime knot skills at the Ca'n Barbarà dock. Meanwhile, at the San Carlos Castle, in addition to having its military museum open, there will be recreational activities such as workshops on painting miniature soldiers, and an exhibition by Fundació Natura Parc on the Port of Palma's falconry service. Finally, the third-oldest lighthouse in the world in operation, the Portopí lighthouse, is open to both experts and those unfamiliar with the fascinating world of lighthouses, with guided tours of the Exhibition of Maritime Signals, featuring unique pieces preserved and restored by the APB.

Port-city

Javier Sanz takes office as president of the Balearic Islands Port Authority

14/09/2023

The order of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda has been published today in the Official State Gazette (BOE) announcing the appointment of José Javier Sanz Fernández as the new president of the Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB), replacing Jaume Colom Adrover, who is stepping down from the post. The Government Council of the Balearic Islands named Javier Sanz as the new president of the APB on 1 September 2023. Once the Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda had been informed of the appointment, it was published in the BOE (Official State Gazette). Born in Madrid in 1949, Javier Sanz has a degree in Economics and an MBA. His professional career has been closely linked to private enterprise in senior management positions. He has also served as president of the Real Club Náutico de Palma and is currently president of the Real Federación Española de Vela (Royal Spanish Sailing Federation).

History Environment and CSR Port-city Technology and innovation Transport and infrastructure Socio-economic development

19,000 cruise passengers have been using the City Boat maritime transport service in the port of Eivissa during a period of three months

21/07/2023

The City Boat line, which runs from the Botafoc area to the centre of Eivissa town (es Martell), carried 19,000 cruise passengers during the months of April, May and June 2023. Considering the outbound and return journeys, 38,000 passengers have been transported by sea, providing an alternative to land transport, with the consequent relief of traffic congestion and pollution. Thus, with an occupancy rate of approximately 50 passengers per bus, during these three months of high season, the implementation of the City Boat has eliminated 760 bus journeys (380 outbound and 380 return). All this has been possible thanks to the institutional collaboration of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) with the Consell Insular d’Eivissa, Eivissa City Council and PIMEEF which, within the framework of the Technical Working Group for the Improvement of Mobility in the port of Eivissa, are working together to adapt the means available to users’ needs. In addition to this measure to coordinate and adapt the supply of inland maritime transport to the needs of cruise passengers, the Port Bus service provided by the Sagales company has also been reinforced on the days with the greatest influx of cruise passengers. In addition, an extension of the Consell de Eivissa L45 bus has started operating and the Taxi Federation has improved its service by having an on-site coordinator at the taxi rank in front of the new Botafoc maritime station. This coordination has proved to be effective on days such as yesterday, when three cruise ships docked at the port of Eivissa, with a total of 12,485 passengers, without any significant impacts on mobility.

Environment and CSR Port-city Transport and infrastructure

The APB, CCOO and UGT agree a plan to inject 375,000 euros of funds each year to develop the skills of workers subject to the Collective Bargaining Agreement

18/07/2023

The executive of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has reached an agreement today with the signatory unions to the III Collective Bargaining Agreement for State-Owned Ports and Port Authorities (specifically, CCOO and UGT) regarding the skills and professional development plan for 2020, 2021 and 2022. As a result, almost 375,000euros of funds will be injected each year in order to boost the base salaries of around 260workers who form part of the port organisation. This agreement involves the creation of 50jobs, to be filled by internal promotion, and measures to increase the skills of a further 245roles. The two parties, who together formed the Local Committee for Skills Management (CLGC), signed the agreement today during a meeting at the headquarters of the APB in the Port of Palma. The chair of the APB, Jaume Colom, who has followed the negotiations for the agreement reached with the CLGC, voiced his appreciation for the efforts to reach a consensus made by the executive, the HR division, and the unions who signed the agreement. “It marks the beginning of a new stage for labour relations at the Port”, he said, as the APB will now have tools to enable the professional advancement of employees by developing their skills.

Socio-economic development

A new children’s playground on the cruise ship quay in the port of Maó

03/07/2023

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has completed the installation of a children’s playground on the cruise ship quay in the port of Maó. The play area will be enclosed by fences and will have a safety floor. It has a marine theme, including a Santa Maria ship, whale and fish-shaped piers, a fortress tower and four activity panels. It is aimed at encouraging port-city interaction through social activities for all, at the same time as being compatible with port activity, both for local residents and port users. The work was carried out by the company M. Polo, for the sum of 362,667euros excluding VAT. Architectural barriers The work also includes the elimination of architectural barriers on pavements. Therefore, the pavements around the APB buildings in Maó have been remodelled in order to eliminate an existing step that extends the entire length of their central axis, in Moll de Ponent and Moll de Llevant streets. This is in line with the APB’s Corporate Social Responsibility policy, which includes the progressive elimination of architectural barriers to make them a safe place to suit the abilities of all users of the port’s infrastructures.

Environment and CSR Port-city Transport and infrastructure

The transfer of coral colonies affected by the work on the pontoons for sports boats in Cala Corb has begun

22/06/2023

Work has been underway to relocate the Cladocora caespitosa colonies affected by the work on the pontoons for sports boats in Cala Corb since the beginning of June. The project, awarded to the company Tecnoambiente for 139,224.05euros, will allow work to resume on the new walkway that will connect Cala Corb with the d’en Pons quay, which is expected to begin in November. With this walkway, the two quays will be joined at a height of 1.2metres above mean sea level. In addition, the new walkway will be able to accommodate around 67small boats. The main objectives of this infrastructure are to optimise service conditions for sports boats, reduce the waiting list for directly managed moorings, and improve access and pedestrian circulation in the port of Maó. The project to build a pontoon for sports boats began in November 2018 and was awarded to the Copcisa / Construcciones Olives joint venture. In January 2020, as a result of the need to modify the initial project due to the stability of the embankments in the area, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) was asked to draw up a report on the current state of the seabed in a section of the Cala Corb area. The conclusions of the report warned of the low probability of survival of a coral species endemic to the area, the Cladocora caespitosa, and recommended a project to restore its colonies in order to mitigate the impact caused by the work. Following the mandatory reports from the Directorate General for the Coast and the Sea and the Directorate General for Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification, the green light was given for the project to translocate this species, which is also present in other areas of the port, such as the southern part of the Isla del Rey, the passenger dock, the Cala Figuera inlet and Cala Fonduco. The receiving area is located at the northern end of Illa Plana, at the foot of a small cliff about 1.5metres above sea level and located at a distance of 600metres from the donor site. Endemic species The presence of the species Cladocora caespitosa in Menorca’s waters is well known. As an endemic species it is essential to protect and conserve it. There is evidence that this presence has been very important in ancient times, as indicated, for example, by the Holocene sites found under the es Grau lagoon-beach system. They are particularly vulnerable, as they have evolved under very specific environmental conditions and changes in their environment may lead to their extinction. Moreover, any change in their populations can alter the dynamics of other species with which they are directly or indirectly related.

Environment and CSR Port-city

Puertos y Litorales Sostenibles (Sustainable Ports and Coastlines), chosen as the best solution for the management of a dry marina facility for small charter boats in the port of La Savina

20/06/2023

The Board of Directors of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has chosen as the best solution in the public tender for the management, under administrative authorisation, of a dry marina facility for small charter boats in the port of La Savina submitted by the company Puertos y Litorales Sostenibles, S.L. The 754.5square metre area of intervention has been put out to tender, of which 247.4square metres is water and 507.1square metres is land. The services to be provided include the hoisting and launching of boats, storage, surveillance and safeguarding of boats on land, as well as the supply of water and electricity to them. The annual amount of the occupation fee is 9,197.18euros and the activity fee, in accordance with Articles 187 and 188 of the State Ports Law, will be 4% of the turnover. The duration of the authorisation will be two years, as of the granting of the authorisation, with the possibility of a further one year extension. The provision of this service shall be compulsory for the authorised person during the high season (1 June to 30 September). The rest of the months will be optional. This new intervention is justified by the great demand in the port of La Savina for small charter boats of up to 7metres in length, due to the new anchoring restrictions imposed in S’Estany des Peix.

Transport and infrastructure Socio-economic development