News APB | Ports de Balears

The APB renews its cooperation agreement with the Majorca Island Council for handling emergencies at the Port of Alcudia

21/05/2014

The Port Authorty of the Balearic Islands (APB) and the Majorca Island Council have today renewed their cooperation agreement on occupational health and safety, firefighting, sea rescue, and civil defence at the Port of Alcudia. As a result, the agreement signed in 2002 has been extended for a further 15 years and aims to increase safety levels at the Port of Alcudia, both on land and in the water. The agreement was signed today by the APB Chairman, Alberto Pons, and the President of the Island Council, María Salom, at the Majorca Island Council headquarters in Palma, in the presence of the Local Cooperation Councillor, Bernadí Coll. Under this agreement, the APB will invest €70,000 per year in classroom and hands-on training in port activities for the Majorca Fire Brigade. The training will cover dealing with on-board emergencies, combating pollution, and handling dangerous goods. The APB Chairman, Alberto Pons, stressed that an agreement between the two institutions is the most “intelligent” way of complying with safety requirements in public ports. In turn, the Majorca Island Council undertakes to provide the necessary staff and equipment to ensure safety at the Port of Alcudia at all times, and to assign a specially-trained response team to the port area. The President of the Council, María Salom, pointed out that this was the largest investment ever in training which aims to “ensure that the fire brigade operates efficiently and successfully”.

The Deputy Director of Customs and Special Taxes opens the 12th Customs Forum at the Port of Palma

19/05/2014

On 16th and 17th May, the Port of Palma hosted the 12th Customs Forum, which was opened by Marisa González, the Deputy Director of the Department of Customs and Special Taxes, which is part of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The meeting was held at the headquarters of the Association of Maritime Activities Employers (APEAM) in the Balearic Islands, and was attended by the Chairman of the Customs Agents Council, José Miguel Soldevilla, and the APEAM Chairman, Miguel Puigserver. The Forum’s closing address, on Saturday, was given by the Director-General of the Balearic Islands’ Ports and Airports, Antonio Deudero. During this two-day event, which was held in collaboration with the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands, Grupo Taric, and the Customs Agents Association, over 100 customs representatives discussed the future of their profession. According to Soldevilla, the Forum “will serve to lay down the guidelines for our profession over the next few years”. As announced by the Chairman of the World Customs Association at the 2nd Global AEO (Authorised Economic Operators) Conference, held recently in Madrid, the EU and China will be signing a mutual recognition agreement in the next few months. This agreement will smooth the way for any small companies that apply AEO criteria. Customs agents obtaining the AEO certificate will reap multiple benefits, which will result in faster processes and greater legal protection in the EU and countries that have signed agreements of this type (United States, Japan, Switzerland, Norway, and Andorra).

Balearic Islands Freight Forwarding Association (ATEIA-OLTRA) set up today at the Port of Palma

15/05/2014

The Balearic Islands Freight Forwarding Association (ATEIA-OLTRA) was set up at the Port of Palma today, following a technical conference entitled “The responsibility of freight forwarders and other logistics operators”. The event was attended by the Chairman of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands, Alberto Pons, the Chairman of the Majorca Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Roses, and the Chairman of FETEIA-OLTRA, Enric Ticó. The new Balearic Islands Freight Forwarding Association is made up of the seven main freight-forwarding companies on the islands, and Enrique Oliver Payarols, of Transcoma Baleares, S.A. has been named as its Chairman. As of today, the Chairman of the association (ATEIA-OLTRA) will be on the federation’s executive committee, thus making the Balearic Islands a full member of the Spanish Freight Forwarding Federation. The new association aims to publicise the role of freight forwarders as a key element in the smooth running of the logistics chain, and to pay special attention to providing training and information for its members. The role of freight forwarders Freight forwarders are global logistics operators. They handle 87% of Spanish foreign trade and decide through which port, airport, or customs border each foreign trade shipment will go, within the framework of an integrated logistics chain. Freight forwarders coordinate, monitor, and direct all of the operations needed to ship international goods, as well as all related freight services, regardless of the mode of transport. Freight forwarders organise the logistics chain. In short, freight forwarders are the architects of the supply chain. They are to freight what travel agents are to passengers. These days, managing foreign trade is complex, and it involves extraordinary economic, legal, and organisational risks. A large part of these risks are taken by freight-forwarding companies who, thanks to the responsible way in which they handle their operations, ensure that company objectives are met, i.e. enabling efficient, safe international trade.

The President of the Balearic Islands Regional Government, José Ramón Bauzá, opens the 31st Palma Boat Show

30/04/2014

Today, the President of the Balearic Islands Regional Government, José Ramón Bauzá, opened the 31st Palma Boat Show, which is to be held from 30th April to 4th May at the Port of Palma. José Ramon Bauzá, together with the Mayor of Palma, Mateo Isern, presided over the official opening ceremony of the International Boat Show, alongside other authorities. They both highlighted the importance of the boating industry as a driving force for the islands’ economy, and the Palma Boat Show’s value in positioning the Balearic Islands as a world sailing and yachting industry benchmark. The APB Chairman, Alberto Pons, took advantage of the visit of the President and Mayor of Palma to the International Boat Show to show them the new urban area of the port which is open to the public at the Moll Vell marina. This building has a large open-air area on the top which provides unique views of the Port of Palma.

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands installs free public toilets at the Port of Palma

23/04/2014

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has installed free public toilets at the Port of Palma to cater for the needs of citizens and cruise passengers. These toilets have universal accessibility and are made of highly resistant materials. They are located on the Camino de La Escollera, and have a self-cleaning system which is activated each time they are used. In addition, their opening times can be set to coincide with the presence of cruise passengers in the area. The cost of this facility was around €5,000 and was paid for by the APB as part of its cruise passenger improvements at the Port of Palma.

The Saga Pearl II starts the cruise season at the Port of Alcudia.

23/04/2014

This morning, the Chairman of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB), Alberto Pons, presented a commemorative plaque to Wesley Dunlop, the captain of the Saga Pearl II cruise ship to mark the vessel’s first call at the Port of Alcudia. The presentation took place on board the ship in a simple ceremony which was also attended by the Mayor of Alcudia, Coloma Terrasa, and the Tourism Councillor, Magdalena Truyols, who also marked the Saga Pearl II´s first visit to the port with several gifts. The ship, which has nearly 400 passengers on board, is the first cruise vessel to visit the Port of Alcudia in 2014. The itinerary of the 164 metre-long Saga Pearl II is unknown to the ship’s passengers, who find out where they are when they wake up each morning. The main attractions for passengers on this call included a stroll along the beach, a walk around the town’s old quarter, and a visit to the former Roman city of Pollentia.

The APB takes over the coordination of the Institutional Forum for Quality in the Public Sector in the Balearic Islands

14/04/2014

This morning, the APB Chairman, Alberto Pons, took over the coordination for the next 12 months of the Institutional Forum for Quality in the Public Sector in the Balearic Islands from the Vice-Chancellor of the Balearic Islands University, Llorenç Huguet. The handover took place during an event in which the full members of the Institutional Forum for Quality in the Public Sector in the Balearic Islands renewed their permanent membership, signed a quality commitment declaration, and accepted the Forum’s internal regulations. The Forum’s mission is to act as a meeting point to promote and coordinate cooperation between public authorities and their staff to achieve a culture of management excellence, which serves to encourage continuous improvement in the Balearic Islands. Members of this Forum include the Calvià Town Council, the Palma City Council, the Majorcan and Minorcan Island Councils, the Regional Ministries of Economy and Competitiveness, Public Administration, and Education, the Central Government Defence Office, the Central Government Office in the Balearic Islands, the Regional Office of the Spanish Tax Agency, the Provincial Office of the Social Security Fund, the Regional Office of the Spanish Economy and Finance Ministry, the Juvenile Prosecution Service, Mercapalma, the Balearic Islands University, and the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands.

Presentation of the Master Plan for the Port of Palma to different regional bodies

09/04/2014

This morning, the Chairman and Director of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands, Alberto Pons and Juan Carlos Plaza, met the President of the Majorca Island Council, Mrs María Salom the Central Government representative in the region, Mrs Teresa Palmer, and the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr. José Luís Roses, to present its new Master Plan for the Port of Palma. The visit was well received by the different bodies approached. The plan involves modernising the Port of Palma, improving its facilities and achieving greater port-city integration, boosting the economy both of the city and the Balearic Islands as a whole by increasing the number of cruises and megayachts visiting the city, as well as redesigning port areas. The Master Plan is to be presented to the Palma City Council and other civilian organisations next week. These presentations aim to reach a consensus among all the stakeholders involved in the new Master Plan project for the Balearic Islands’ leading port.

The APB aims to bring the new Botafoc passenger terminal into service in 2016

04/04/2014

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) aims to bring the new Botafoc passenger terminal into service in 2016, after finishing the project which centres on building a suitable modern terminal with all the necessary services, which is in keeping with the environment and caters for the needs of local citizens and visitors. The APB is currently studying a significant improvement in the idea behind and design of the existing project to create a permanent passenger terminal for the future which is suitable for the island of Ibiza. According to the APB Chairman, Alberto Pons, “work is underway to create an ideal building that can compete with other terminals located in neighbouring tourist ports”. At the end of October 2013, a 1,500 square-metre terminal was opened to the public on the Botafoc Quays, which is used by the shipping companies Balearia and Trasmediterranea. The terminal provides safe, comfortable, and fast boarding and disembarking for ferry passengers moving through the Port of Ibiza.

A piece of mid 19th century French pottery found during the dredging work at the Port of Maó

03/04/2014

A piece of mid 19th century French pottery from Bordeaux has been found during the archaeological supervision carried out as part of the dredging work at the Port of Maó. More detailed information is available on the web about the dredging work at the Port of Maó in www.portsdebalears.com. This morning, the dredger Antignano arrived at the Port of Maó and will be joining in with the dredging work currently underway in the Maó waters. The addition of this new dredger brings the total number of vessels involved in the dredging work to three (Neptun Khan, Dipper Von Rocks and the aforementioned Antignano), and thus aims to make up for the delays that occurred at the start of the project as a result of bad weather. The Antignano is a 60 metre-long hopper, which can load up to 660 cubic metres of dredged material.

Work on the Cós Nou road at the Port of Maó starts today

02/04/2014

Today, work starts on building the new access road to the Cós Nou Quay from the La Mola road at the Port of Maó. This road will provide access to the naval base and the future passenger and general cargo terminal. The new access will be made up of a stretch of road around 300 metres long running from north to south. At the north end, a roundabout will be built to extend the existing road, which links the town of Maó to La Mola, whilst at the south end a second roundabout will be built to connect the naval base and the Cós Nou Quay to the planned road. The new road will have two lanes in both directions, pavements, a bike lane, and street lighting. The construction of this new road will improve road access to the Port of Maó and the naval base, as well as adapting the port facility area that is open to traffic to basic security requirements and current port legislation. The tender for the work has been awarded to the company Antonio Gomila, S.A. The project has a budget of €3.2 million and a maximum execution period of five months.

This morning the Dipper Von Rocks dredger arrived in Maó to dredge the port

01/04/2014

The Dipper Von Rocks dredger arrived early this morning at the Port of Maó, pulled by the Gargal tug boat. Over the next few days, it will be joining in with the dredging work currently taking place in the Maó waters. This powerful dipper dredger will considerably speed up dredging operations, which have been underway since 10th March. The dredger will be operating alongside the lighters John and Paul, which arrived in Maó last week. These barges will be used to transport the material dredged by the Dipper Von Rocks, with the back-up of the GPS Battler tug boat. After its arrival at the port today, the dredger will need two or three days to be put into position before it can start dredging.