News APB | Ports de Balears

New provisional passenger waiting area in the Port of Ibiza

24/07/2008

The PAB has put into service the new provisional waiting area for boarding passengers in the terminal at the Port of Ibiza. The aim is to improve conditions for the passengers until the new Botafoc terminal is ready.The PAB has conditioned the first floor of the former passenger terminal of the Port of Ibiza with an air-conditioning system, toilets and seating, so that passengers have a secure, cool and comfortable place to wait for arriving vessels.. The external stairs have also been regulated to conform to the laws of general use and fire safety, with the installation of emergency doors and fire extinguishers. Meanwhile, work has started on the installation of awnings on the outside of the terminal and the rearrangement of parking spaces. The entry into service of this provisional waiting area does not replace existing ones on the ground floor. The total budget of the project amounts to 110,000 euros.The PAB has put into service the new provisional waiting area for boarding passengers in the terminal at the Port of Ibiza. The aim is to improve conditions for the passengers until the new Botafoc terminal is ready.The PAB has conditioned the first floor of the former passenger terminal of the Port of Ibiza with an air-conditioning system, toilets and seating, so that passengers have a secure, cool and comfortable place to wait for arriving vessels.. The external stairs have also been regulated to conform to the laws of general use and fire safety, with the installation of emergency doors and fire extinguishers. Meanwhile, work has started on the installation of awnings on the outside of the terminal and the rearrangement of parking spaces. The entry into service of this provisional waiting area does not replace existing ones on the ground floor. The total budget of the project amounts to 110,000 euros.

10.000 cruise passengers in the Port of Palma in one day

22/07/2008

The Port of Palma recorded, on July 17, a record of 10,000 cruise passengers in one day, accommodating three megacruiseships and another medium in size at its docks. The four ships were Costa Magica, with 101,350 tonnes and 272 metres MSC Orchestra, with 92,409 tonnes and 293 metres Arcadia, with 83,000 tonnes and 285 metres and Thomsom Destiny, with 37,773 tonnes and 214 metres. The Port of Palma is expected, in 2008, to beat the historic record of 500 stopovers in the same year.

Criminal complaint dismissed against former president of the PAB

10/07/2008

Magistrate No. 7 in Palma, has agreed to the dismissal of the interim criminal complaint filed by the company Boat Yard Palma, against the former chairman of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (PAB), Joan Verger, for giving the concession of the dry dock of the commercial docks in the Port of Palma to Port Technical Services (PTS ). Likewise, expert evidence requested by the complainant was denied. The judge has also imposed court costs to Boat Yard due to the fact that “temerity has been observed in the imposition of this lawsuit." In November 2006, Boat Yard filed a criminal complaint against the former president of the PAB, for alleged crimes of fraud, prohibited activities and prevarication of the resolution of the bid for procurement of haul out services for boats at the commercial docks of the Port of Palma in favour of STP. The proceedings, dated 2 July 2008, are filed in the provisional archives.In the brief, the judge revealed that charges by the complainant for the alleged offence of fraud by a public body were not supported with evidence. Among other arguments, the judge considered the declaration of the Technical Commission in charge of resolving the results of the bidding, which points out that the technical report was written unanimously by its three divisions. It also suggests that in the vote of the Board of Directors of the PAB, there were no votes against and that there were several abstentions from management heads, which were justified in that they did not want to decide in favour of any of their clients. Finally, the judge’s indictment contends that it does not appear that anyone was pressured by the former president of the PAB to make a conclusive report for awarding the concession to STP.

The PAB reconstructs the walls around lighthouses of Minorca

07/07/2008

Over the past few The PAB has conducted the rebuilding of the enclosures surrounding the buildings attached to the lighthouses of Minorca. These are, for the most part, stone walls, built in the traditional way, which tend to crumble and collapse over time. The reconstruction work has respected the structural integrity of the existing, traditional enclosures typical to Minorca. They consist of two trapezoidal faces made of rough, native stone, crowned by what is called “esquena d’ase”. The reconstruction, with a budget of 130,000 euros, has been carried out at the lighthouses of Favàritx, Cap d'Artrutx, Cap de Cavalleria, Sa Punta Nati, Port Ciutadella and Sant Carles.

Environmental Department issues report from DIA for Botafoc docks

07/07/2008

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (PAB) has officially received, from the Secretary of State for Climate Change, the Declaration of Environmental Impact (DIA) for the proposed esplanade and commercial piers at Botafoc, in the Port of Ibiza. DIA establishes strict environmental measures to be followed before, during and after construction. The PAB considers feasible all the conditions imposed in the report. After having a favourable response from the Ministry of Environment and the Department of Land and Sea, the PAB has been in contact with the provincial government and the Town Council of Ibiza.

5,000 m² more for boat repairs in Cós Nou

23/06/2008

The port of Mahon has acquired and added 5.000m² to the existing area of Cos Nou, used for the reparation of recreational vessels, including a new travel lift basin. The PAB plans to summon bids for the general management of the whole boat yard area, which will also provide a fuel dock.

Land acquired in the port of Maó for more than 8 million euros

20/06/2008

Between 1999 and 2008, the PAB has purchased land in the port of Maó, valued at 7.5 million euros, to make room for the renovation and expansion of Cos Nou, where the future passenger terminal will be located and whose construction will cost approximately 13 million euros. The PAB had recently acquired several lots, with a total area of 207,000m², for 3.5 million euros and this was added to other land previously purchased for 4 million euros. In addition to this, the PAB intends to buy more land, in order to have sufficient area for the amplification and the access road to the port.

The PAB will build its new offices in the old “Tras” building

14/06/2008

The PAB will build its new offices at the port of Palma in the old office buildings of the company Trasmediterránea, popularly known as the "Tras" building. The construction could start in the second half of 2009, with an execution period of fifteen months and an estimated budget of 18 million euros. This will involve the relocation of its current headquarters to expand and adapt to its future needs. The future building will be built on an area of 2,500 square meters and will consist of two floors and a basement for parking and storage. It will conserve the existing stone façade, located at the main entrance of Moll Vell, for its historical significance. The rest of the property will be newly constructed with steel, glass and aluminium.The interior distribution will consist of a spacious courtyard with work zones distributed around the perimeter. The ground floor will have a porch garden, which will be used mainly as a reception area. The first and second floors are intended for offices, waiting rooms, training rooms and general work areas. The project includes measures to protect the environment, with thermal and acoustic insulation and energy conservation, as well as, access to telecommunications services, audiovisuals and the media. It also contemplates strategies to improve accessibility and ways of dealing with architectural barriers. With the move to the old "Tras" building, which was built early in the nineteen thirties, the current headquarters of the PAB will be converted into a building dedicated to corporate and institutional activities, such as, exhibitions, archives and meetings of the Governing Council, as well as, acts related to the port, such as, conferences, symposiums, seminars and forums.

Construction of new passenger terminal begins in Alcudia

03/06/2008

The PAB initiated today, the construction of the new passenger terminal in the Port of Alcudia, with a budget allocation of 12,947,265.00 €. The signing of a joint venture agreement between the PAB and winners of the bid, the UTE, formed by Ferrovial Agromán and Construcciones Llull Sastre, marked the official start of construction. The project has an estimated deadline for completion of twelve months. The building will have an area of approximately 3,600 square meters, with a height that will not exceed twelve meters. In addition, it will have a parking area for cars and buses. The passenger terminal will be located on the recent extension of the Poniente docks: an area of 27,500 square meters gained over water, in which the PAB has invested about six million euros. The project will also include the installation of fixed and movable gangways to connect the terminal with ships, providing direct access for embarking and disembarking passengers.

The Port of Palma beats record for cruise ship stopovers in a single month

31/05/2008

Today the Port of Palma has reached a new record of 84 cruise ship stopovers in the same month, surpassing the record high of 80 stopovers registered since October, 1999. The month of May closed with a 9% increase over the same month in 2007, when a total of 77 cruise ships passed through the Port of Palma. Adding to the fact that May and October are the two busiest months of the season in the ports of the Balearic Islands, with regard to such vessels, on May 18, the Oceanic and the Grand Mistral made unscheduled visits to Palma’s facilities, due to the fact that they had been forced to suspend their stopovers in the port of Tunisia. If the program for this year is fulfilled, the Port of Palma will break another historical record: 500 stopovers by cruise ships in the same year. The current forecast is for an increase of 5% in cruise ship stopovers compared with 2007, when the port of Palma received for the first time, over one million cruise ships in a single season

The PAB reconstructs the landing pier on the Isla del Rey in the Port of Maó

19/05/2008

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands has completed the reconstruction of the old pier on the Isla del Rey, located in the Port of Maó. The cost of the reform was approximately 50,000 euros and consisted of reinforcing the quay, which is 14.5 metres long and has an average width of 6.5 metres, and repaving the surface. The border was raised to 90 centimetres above sea level to facilitate berthing of more modern vessels

The Governing Council informed about plan to extend Port of Palma

15/05/2008

The Board of Directors of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (PAB) was informed today in detail about the Master Plan for Infrastructures for the Port of Palma, which provides for exterior expansion and remodelling of its port facilities. The plan is undergoing its final draft and the finalization of the Strategic Environmental Assessment Study. The project includes a new external dock which, with the acquisition of greater surface area and mooring lines, will improve the distribution of merchandise and passenger traffic, cruise ship traffic, docking for recreational vessels and boat reparation facilities, among other activities. In addition, areas near the urban core could provide the basis of a port-city project being developed with the City Council of Palma