News APB | Ports de Balears

The APB holds a meeting of the Institutional Forum for Quality in the Public Sector at Port Adriano

13/11/2014

Coinciding with World Quality Day, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) organised a conference for members of the Institutional Forum for Quality in the Public Sector in the Balearic Islands at the Port Adriano Marina, in the municipality of Calvià. The conference showcased the latest developments in quality and innovation implemented in this marina, which were explained by the Deputy Chairman of the Association of Marinas and Nautical Facilities in the Balearic Islands (ANADE), Isabel Teruel. During the meeting, a quality commitment declaration was signed by the Confederation of Businessowner Associations in the Balearic Islands (CAEB), and by AENOR, ASEPEYO, and the Association of Business Agents, which reflected their commitment to making quality an essential part of their organisation. The meeting also heralded the announcement of the imminent start-up of the Forum’s website, which will be hosted on the corporate web of the Balearic Islands’ Regional Government, and revealed details of the Forum’s 2015 meeting, which will kick off on board the MSC Preziosa cruise ship on 22nd April. World Quality Day was created by the United Nations in 1990 in order to raise worldwide awareness of the contribution quality makes towards the progress of nations. The APB, as the Forum’s coordinating body, has taken on the mission to act as a meeting point to promote and coordinate cooperation between public authorities and their staff in a culture of management excellence, and to drive continuous improvement in the public sector in the Balearic Islands. Today’s meeting was attended by the Calvià Town Councillor, Esperanza Català, and the Ministry of Defence representative in the Balearic Islands, Manuel Fernández-Roca, amongst other personalities.

The APB Chairman explains the project to redesign the seafront at the Port of Ibiza

23/10/2014

In view of the information published yesterday about the start of the work to redesign and improve the South Quays at the Port of Ibiza, the Chairman of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) gave the following explanations: 1.- The project has been authorised by the Spanish Ministry of Development, the body which authorises work of public interest to be carried out on public port land. This type of work does not require a municipal licence. In addition to all the necessary procedures required to carry out this project, a consensus has been reached on the aspects proposed by the Ibiza Town Council and the Ibiza Island Council. In terms of environmental procedures, and after a report from the Spanish Ministry of Development, it has been concluded that the project does not require an environmental assessment procedure, as it is not included in appendices I and II, nor in the situations set out in article 7.2.c, of Spanish Law 21/2013, of 9th December, on Environmental Assessment. 2.- The APB has a report from the Central Government Attorney’s Office and from the Balearic Islands Attorney’s Office which show that the area affected by the project works does not come under the heritage jurisdiction of the Ibiza Island Council. To further clarify this issue for future initiatives in the area, although it is not necessary, the APB, through the Government Attorney’s Office in the Balearic Islands, has asked the Spanish Ministry of Culture to prepare a report on the issues put forward by the Heritage Department of the Ibiza Island Council. 3.-In previous meetings held between the APB and Heritage Technical Committee experts, no serious incompatibilities between the project and the area’s heritage requirements were brought up. 4.- The APB is ready to start the work in October 2014, so that it is finished before the month of June 2015, thus preventing the problems that a delay in the work would cause the local businesses in the area, as the work would hinder access to businesses in the south area of the Port of Vila in the high season.

The APB, committed to responsible relationship management

16/10/2014

The APB is involved in a process to implement responsible relationship management among its staff to identify the APB’s mission, vision and values, and apply them in its daily activities to serve society. Over the last seven months, nearly two dozen employees from the different ports managed by the APB have voluntarily taken part in building the foundations of responsible management for this public body. This will open up new ways to ensure that the work started by this core group is transmitted to the rest of the APB staff so that the end results of the initiative have a positive effect on society’s perception of the organisation.

The Port of Maó will be connected to the city via escalators

10/10/2014

The APB’s Board of Directors has approved a cooperation agreement between the APB and the Maó Town Council to improve access via Costa de Ses Voltes street, which links the port to the town via stone steps. The agreement will set out the framework for installing an escalator to improve access and links between the Port of Maó and the town centre.

The APB approves the tender terms and conditions for the new Cós Nou dry dock at the Port of Maó

10/10/2014

The APB’s Board of Directors has approved the terms and conditions governing the public tender to operate the facilities for vessel docking and launching, and providing supplies at the Cós Nou Quay at the Port of Maó. The tender will allow the APB to choose the best bid to grant an administrative concession to occupy an esplanade with a land surface area of 20,353 square metres, which can be extended, and a water surface of 7,016 square metres, making a total surface area of 27,369 square metres. The minimum annual tender is €285,418.31, and the maximum duration of the concession is 32 years.

The APB gives the go-ahead for work to redesign the seafront at the Port of Ibiza to get underway

01/10/2014

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has given the go-ahead on fitting out and modernising the South Quays at the Port of Ibiza with the tender awarded today to the company Corsán-Corviam Construcción, S.A., valued at €5.5 million (€5,556,899.70). The company has seven months to complete the work as soon as the verification of the onsite layout is signed, which is scheduled to take place in about two or three weeks. Corsán-Corviam Construcción was the winner of the open tender, in which 18 companies and consortia took part. The tender budget was €8.2 million (€8,279,052.00). The project to redesign the Port of Ibiza’s seafront, funded by the APB, aims to achieve seamless integration between the port and the city, with the creation of a square, a bike lane, the removal of physical barriers between both areas, and maximum restrictions on vehicle access in the area. The site will be used to build a new 600 m2 single-storey construction, made up of a 400m2 building and a 200m2 covered area, in which premises to provide marina services, such as storerooms, changing rooms, and offices, will be located alongside a 130m2 facility set aside for public uses, such as a tourist information office, and toilets.

The Port of Palma hosts the 2014 Palma Port Kart Cup

23/09/2014

Today, the Port of Palma hosted the presentation of the 2014 Palma Port Kart Cup, an event previously held in Monaco, and which has come to Palma for the first time. The ceremony, which was presided over by the Chairman of the Port Authority (APB), Alberto Pons, was attended by the Deputy Mayor of Culture and Sport, Fernando Gilet, and the Managing Director of the Palma de Majorca 365 Tourism Foundation, Pedro Homar. The presentation was also attended by Agustín Arbex, CEO of the event organiser, Arbex &amp Team the Chairman of the Balearic Islands’ Automobile Federation, Rafael Abraham the Deputy Chairman of Club Karting Rock and event coordinator, Ángel Martínez, and Borja Viladomiu from Karting Magalluf. The 2014 Palma Port Kart Cup will take place on 24th, 25th and 26th October at the Camino de s’escollera in the Port of Palma. As Fernando Gilet explained, this event has been highly sought after for a long time, and comes with the backing of having taken over from Monaco. In parallel, the Deputy Mayor stated that the 2014 Palma Port Kart Cup will be “an excellent showcase for the city, which dovetails with the determination shown by the Palma City Council and the Palma de Majorca 365 Tourism Foundation in organising events that promote the city as a tourist and sporting destination”. In turn, the APB Chairman pointed out that the event is "a tremendous boost for the Port-City project", and concluded that he was "very excited about this initiative which encourages residents and tourists to visit and enjoy the Port of Palma”.

The APB presents the new Port Innovation Platform

22/09/2014

Today saw the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) present the new Port Innovation Platform (PIP). This platform aims to pinpoint opportunities for improvement in ports and their surroundings, strengthening, leading, and supporting joint innovation projects to ensure they are successful. Through the new web, www.innovacion.portsdebalears.com, which was presented to the port community this lunchtime at the Port of Palma, the APB aims to apply the Smart Port concept, as the majority of innovative projects and ideas developed under this umbrella will be supported by new technologies. The presentation of the PIP was attended by the APB Chairman, Alberto Pons the Director-General of Ports and Airports, Antonio Deudero the Deputy Chairman of the Palma City Council’s Municipal Innovation Institute, Guillem Navarro the Vice-Chancellor of Innovation and Knowledge Transfer at the University of the Balearic Islands, Jordi Llabrés, and the Head of the APB´s Quality and Innovation Department, Jorge Martín. Alberto Pons highlighted the fact that APB ports "are leaders and we offer excellent services. Thus, the PIP will enable us to promote projects that come from private sources”. In turn, Jorge Martín, who presented the details of the web, pointed out that the PIP is not only a website, but is also a tool to connect users to the port, in which projects of public interest will be shared, so that tailor-made working groups can develop them.

The APB and the Majorca Food Bank Foundation sign a cooperation agreement

18/09/2014

This morning, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) and the Majorca Food Bank Foundation signed a cooperation agreement aimed at increasing awareness among the general public, institutions, and organisations to promote campaigns to collect food and subsequently donate it to those in need. The agreement was signed by the APB Chairman, Alberto Pons, and the Chairman of the Majorca Food Bank Foundation, José Falcó, at the APB´s offices in the Port of Palma. The idea for the project came from the APB’s employees at the Port of Palma, whom Pons thanked for their commitment to cooperation. The APB Chairman also stated his intention to promote the initiative among the port community, and expressed the hope that “these campaigns to combat hunger will be sporadic, and will not become a cyclical issue”. Likewise, the Chairman of the Majorca Food Bank Foundation, José Falcó, thanked the APB’s “active contribution” in combating a problem suffered by many people on the island.

The APB promotes Balearic Island ports at Seatrade Med Cruise in Barcelona

16/09/2014

A delegation from the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) is taking part in the Seatrade Med Cruise annual cruise convention, which is being held in Barcelona from 14th to 18th September. The APB delegation, led by its Chairman, Alberto Pons, is in Barcelona to attend several meetings with representatives of the world’s main shipping companies with a view to strengthening the trust these companies have placed in the islands’ public ports over the next few years. The delegation’s priority is to promote the ports of Mahon and Alcudia, as these two destinations have excellent potential for small and medium-sized cruise ships. 2015 is set to be a great season for the APB’s ports, which are scheduled to welcome two million passengers. The Port of Palma expects to beat all its previous records, in a season marked by regular calls of seven cruise ships over 300 metres long, including the Allure of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship.

The APB marks the tenth anniversary of the Portopí lighthouse’s Maritime Signalling Exhibition

02/09/2014

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has today presented the events scheduled to mark the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Portopí lighthouse’s Maritime Signalling Exhibition, which brings together two decades of work carried out by navigational aid experts in the collection, restoration, and conservation of diverse material, documents, and equipment related to maritime signalling and lighthouses on the Balearic Islands. To celebrate the first ten years of this unique exhibition, the Port of Palma will be opening the West Breakwater access to the Portopí lighthouse to the general public on 13th and 14th September. The exhibition will be open on Saturday 13th from 10.30 to 14.00, and 17.00 to 20.00. Opening hours on Sunday 14th will be from 10.30 to 14.00. There will also be guided tours at 11.00, 13.00, and 18.30. Activities for children have been scheduled, such as popular and group games, workshops to play a bottle top game, tie sailor knots, make flags, and build lighthouses. These activities have been designed to let children discover and enjoy the fascinating world of lighthouses and “feel the magic inside them", in the words of the APB Chairman, Alberto Pons, in his presentation of the Open Days. Portopí lighthouse The Portopí lighthouse, which has been standing for seven centuries and is the world’s third oldest working lighthouse, has played host to a permanent and unique exhibition of maritime signals since 2004. The exhibition can be visited on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings by appointment. For further information, visit the www.farsdebalears.com website. This portal gives information about the salient aspects of Balearic Islands’ lighthouses, such as historic documents from their archives, lenses, lanterns, 360º images of their location, interviews with former lighthouse keepers, and a virtual visit around the Portopí exhibition, which is the centre point of the Open Days on 13th and 14th September.

APB offers maximum rebates to cruise ships calling at the ports of Maó and Alcudia

28/08/2014

The APB, in its 2015 Business Plan, which has been agreed with the State-owned Ports Body, has adopted the maximum rebate legally permitted for cruise ships calling at the ports of Maó and Alcudia, in order to promote cruise traffic and contribute to the economic and social development of these islands. Accordingly, as of the first of January 2015, cruise ships calling at these two ports will benefit from a 40% rebate on both the vessel and passenger charges. According to the APB Chairman, Alberto Pons, this measure responds to the authority´s commitment to promote these two destinations, given the tourism and logistics opportunities they offer. “We have to make sure that shipping companies don’t object to working with us for economic reasons”, said Pons, who was confident that these companies would take into account the efforts made by the APB in terms of charge rebates for 2015. Reduced charges With the same objective in mind, the APB has also decided to apply a 20% rebate on the vessel, passenger, and goods charges for regular goods and passenger traffic at the Port of Maó in 2015. According to the APB, maritime traffic to and from the Minorcan port is highly strategic and it has included this rebate to make it more competitive. In 2015, the APB will be maintaining the reductions it has already applied this year at all the public interest ports it manages, consisting of a 30% rebate on the passenger charge, and a 10% rebate on the goods charge, aimed at boosting economic activity on the islands. In addition, the APB applies the maximum rebate legally permitted as an island group on charges for shipping services to and from other ports outside the archipelago. These reductions consist of a 40% rebate on the vessel and goods charges, a 45% rebate on the passenger charge, and a 60% rebate for vehicles transported as goods. All these measures will be presented to the APB’s Board of Directors for endorsement, and their subsequent approval in the 2015 General State Budget Law.