News APB | Ports de Balears

Two new lanes on Palma's Maritime Promenade towards Portopí open to traffic on 25 June

21/06/2024

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) will open the new lanes to traffic on the land side of Palma's Maritime Promenade on Tuesday 25 June. These lanes will be partially opened to traffic pending the completion of some unfinished work on the initial section of the project. The two lanes that will be operational as of next Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. are those heading towards Portopí, from the Auditorium to the Paraires tower. The remaining stretch that runs from Avenida Argentina to the Auditorium will be operational once the pending adaptation work has been completed to a high standard. Coordination These roads will be opened in coordination with the Mobility Department of Palma City Council and the Local Police, in order to guarantee smooth traffic flow in the city. This project brings the works on Palma's new Maritime Promenade into Phase 2 and 3, which affect the central and seaward sides of the road.

Port-city

The APB improves the Port of Eivissa’s breakwater for mooring boats during weather warnings

20/06/2024

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) is carrying out improvement work on the breakwater in the Port of Eivissa to moor vessels in a contingency situation. This work has meant that part of section of port dock has been blocked off. Pedestrian access to the dock is only restricted at the far end. Floating pontoons and a mooring train are currently being installed in the breakwater shelter for use as temporary moorings during weather warnings. This measure addresses the lack of sufficient shelter in various areas of the Port of Eivissa in the event of contingency situations. The works are scheduled to be completed in mid-July. Over €500,000 has been invested, and the company in charge of the work is Servicios Profesionales Submarinos (SERPROSUB). The works are being carried out in such a way as to minimise the impact on the licensees, port users and citizens in general.

Transport and infrastructure

The APB will debate a new development for the Port of Palma at its Board of Directors meeting

06/06/2024

Javier Sanz, president of the Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB), said that after the consensus reached yesterday by the Board of Directors to paralyse the 2020 project for port development, today the Port of Palma has no plan for the future. As such, he said, the duty of the APB as the management body in charge is “to work on a new restructuring that has the maximum consensus of all stakeholders involved”. Javier Sanz pointed out that at the last meeting of the Board of Directors, the members agreed to discuss the proposals currently on the table regarding a new layout in forthcoming sessions. The aim is to approve a new project for the medium-term future as soon as possible. “Nothing has been decided. We are currently analysing alternatives which are being assessed and which we are sharing with a broad group of sectors to obtain feedback and include them in the decision-making process”, added Sanz. Abandoned project Speaking to the media together with the director of the APB, Toni Ginard, Javier Sanz explained that upon taking office he was faced with a redevelopment project for the Port of Palma, which had been approved by the Board of Directors in 2020 that envisaged a 90,000-square-metre growth in the port's inland waters. After a series of meetings, he noted that both the shipping companies and the ship repair sector disagreed with this plan because it did not respond to long-term needs. The shipping companies voiced considerable concern about the potential threat of congestion posed by the previous proposal, which concentrated all the port's cargo loading and unloading operations in the West Dock, especially during the morning peak hours. As for the repair sector, they considered that the project was urgently needed in a limited area and in front of the Cathedral, a space that could be integrated more naturally with the city. After a discussion within the Board of Directors, a decision was made yesterday to abandon the 2020 project and liquidate the work contracted to carry out this plan, “because it involves an economic expense that is no longer justified”, said Sanz. Although nothing has been decided, the change of course in the Port of Palma will focus on four aspects. Firstly, it will maintain simultaneous port operations in the commercial docks, the Ponent-Paraires docks and the West dock. It will reduce the space allocated to cruise ships, concentrating their activity on the Ponent-Paraires dock. Also, it will gradually move ship repairs to the West dock and the Ribera de Sant Carles quay. Lastly, it will increase the integrated space between the port and the city in front of the Cathedral, using this space for initiatives related to culture, training and, most importantly, sport. “As far as I am concerned, this is the most important thing we have planned for the redevelopment of the port”, said Sanz. According to Javier Sanz, the premise of this initiative led by the APB is that these alternatives should promote a diversified economic model compatible with social welfare, promote industrial diversification and encourage port-city integration by prioritising values such as urban regeneration and the provision of quality spaces for public use. Social responsibility APB's president wanted to clarify that “these alternatives under consideration are in line with the idea that congestion compromises the destination's competitiveness and affects social profitability. This change of direction is aligned with a fresh vision of port investments that we want to promote and which prioritise the efficiency of public resources and the profitability of social value investment”. “This responds to a global trend that the APB wants to embrace and which highlights how strategically important projects that improve the quality of life of cities and of those who live in and visit them are, not just projects that are committed to port operational efficiency, as was the case with the previous project approved in 2020”, Sanz added.

Port-city Transport and infrastructure

The APB increases the number of shaded areas in the port areas in Eivissa and La Savina

05/06/2024

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) has added more shaded areas in different parts of the ports of Eivissa and La Savina to improve and alleviate waiting times for public transport users, cruise passengers and the public in general. A total of forty structures have been installed between the two ports (15 in Eivissa and 25 in La Savina) in the areas with the highest number of passengers and users, such as bus stops, taxi ranks and waiting areas outside the maritime terminals. In Eivissa, the number of shelters has risen from eight to fifteen, while in La Savina it has increased from six to twenty-five. The total number of structures has almost tripled compared to recent years. Each one measures 3x5 metres and will remain in place until 15 November of this year. They will remain fixed for a period of eight months over the next few years, between 15 March and 15 November. Grupo Renta Todo Carpas SL has been awarded the contract to install and maintain the shade structures, which has a budget of €89,637.16 and can be extended for a further four years. Cruise ship passengers' walkway In addition, following a request from the shipping companies and shipping lines operating in the Port of Eivissa, the APB has made a series of improvements to the pedestrian area for cruise passengers disembarking at the Botafoc dock to give them a better service. The walkway has been improved to make it safer and more comfortable, and an information point has also been set up for cruise passengers.

Port-city

The APB honours the Chapel of Sant Elm in the Port of Palma for International Archives Day

05/06/2024

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) is celebrating International Archives Day on 9 June with an exhibition dedicated to the Chapel of Sant Elm, following the request by the Archive's staff. This exhibition aims to raise public awareness of the history of this religious building, currently located in the Contramoll-Mollet in the Port of Palma. On Thursday 6th June from 10 am to 7 pm and Friday 7th June from 10 am to 2 pm, visitors can discover the secrets of this small chapel that has always formed part of Palma's maritime façade, but which has taken on different spaces over the course of its history. As such, the display features a booklet entitled Noticias, traslado y restitución al culto de la Iglesia de San Telmo (News, transfer and restoration to worship of the Church of San Telmo), which dates back to 1947, a map of the Port of Palma from 1853, as well as records from the Construction Board of the Port of Palma referring to the chapel and reproductions of the pictures of boats painted on tiles that are currently on display in the religious building. A tour has also been prepared starting at the APB's institutional headquarters and ending at the Chapel of Sant Elm, in the Contramoll Mollet, to discover what all the historical maritime pieces on display in the open air in this section of the Port of Palma mean to the public. Bibliographic material donated to the APB last April by historian Juan Pou Muntaner will also be on display at the exhibition. The Archive team has reconstructed the historian's office with personal objects donated by the family, such as the plaque commemorating the Ciutat de Palma prize and some photographs he kept on his desk. Original maritime and port-related documents compiled by the historian will also be on display. Bibliographic material donated by historian Juan Pou Muntaner The APB announced that in April the historian Juan Pou Muntaner, author of numerous works dedicated to marine history and the history of Mallorca in the 19th century, had donated bibliographic material to its archive. The donation, made by his nephew José Francisco Roig Palliser, includes magazines, bulletins, textbooks, collections, encyclopaedias and reports on maritime and port-related subjects. Of particular note is a collection of reports from the port of Palma, dating from 1965 to 1997. The donation also includes reports from the Trasmediterránea company (1918-1935) and the Unión Naval de Levante (1957-1981). Through this donation, the port organisation's archive has added more than a thousand documents over the last few months, helping to create a historical snapshot of the Balearic Islands' ports.

History Port-city

APB's Board of Directors agrees to halt the 2020 project approved by the previous Pact administration to analyse a change of direction regarding the Port of Palma's redevelopment

05/06/2024

The Board of Directors of the Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) has unanimously agreed, at a session held this afternoon in the Port of Palma, to abandon all environmental procedures related to the 2020 approved plan, which envisaged the concentration of regular traffic in the West dock and the use of the commercial docks for the nautical maintenance industry. Likewise, a decision was made to suspend the technical assistance contract for drafting the construction projects and the corresponding environmental procedures for the berths and esplanades for ferry traffic in the West dock, as part of this plan. They have also approved the liquidation of the works carried out to date derived from the previous redevelopment plans for the Port of Palma. Partial postponement During the same sitting, APB's Board of Directors unanimously decided to postpone the decision to begin drafting the relevant studies and projects for a new proposal to reorganise the Port of Palma until the next meeting. This would include stimulating the ship repair and maintenance activity in the West dock, improving the flow of regular freight and passenger traffic, as well as increasing the spaces destined for port-city interaction. Other points agreed upon include urging collaboration with the other administrations and organisations involved to improve the land accesses to the port. Regarding the subsequent superstructures and installations required to operate and run the port public space, emphasis has been placed on ensuring that these are carried out efficiently, with the highest quality of service, safety and respect for the environment. As such, the Board of Directors is committed to guaranteeing the operational and logistical capacity of freight and passenger transport. As reported yesterday by the APB, the Port of Palma's reorganisation and modernisation, which aims to strike a balance between port uses, space utilisation to improve maritime traffic and the ship repair and maintenance industry, is currently being examined, agreed and approved by the public administrations, business and trade union organisations, the port community and other stakeholders.

Transport and infrastructure

The APB begins seabed cleaning at the Molinar dock in the Port of Palma

03/06/2024

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) begins cleaning work on the seabed at the Molinar dock in the Port of Palma this week. The aim is to restore the inlet to its original depth. This maintenance measure follows the accumulation of sediments, including sand and marine vegetation upwelling from the sandbanks and surrounding grassland. Coastal dynamics are also causing more sediment to be brought in from outside the harbour. The lack of depth and the Port of Molinar's current layout compromise the safety of boats and users, while at the same time hindering nautical activities in the area. Likewise, the correct launch of the facility authorised for use by the Balearic Sailing Federation and the new marina for small boats at the Caló de'n Rigo dock also depend on the completion of this depth recovery project. The work is scheduled to last two months and the investment is more than €200,000. SERPROSUB (Servicios Profesionales Submarinos) has been awarded the contract to carry out the seabed cleaning. Concession in place At the same time as the seabed cleaning, rehabilitation work is expected to be completed on the historic building that was once owned by the Molinar Maritime Club and which is part of the nautical facility. Following the completion of both projects, Nautic Assets Developers Team S.L. will be awarded the contract to manage moorings for small boats up to 8 metres in length. The successful bidder will invest €672,000 in new pontoons and other facilities and will manage the contract for a period of 18 years. It will also take over the building, which will be used as a bar-café-restaurant on the ground floor and for social and cultural activities on the first floor.

Transport and infrastructure

APB notifies Trasmed that the night-time noise levels of the Ciudad de Granada ferry in the Port of Maó are above the legal limits.

03/06/2024

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) has advised Trasmed, part of the Grimaldi Group, that the noise emissions generated by the Ciudad de Granada ferry at the Port of Maó exceeded the legal limits for night-time hours, based on the results of the studies carried out last April. However, the measurement results show that the regulations were complied with during the daytime period of the ship's stay in the Port of Maó. The shipping company, has decided to anchor the vessel outside the port overnight this Saturday, while awaiting further tests to be carried out before proposing corrective measures to reduce the disturbance caused by the noise. On 21 April 2024, the Eurofins Cavendish SLU laboratory carried out a noise emission inspection on the Ciudad de Granada ship at the Cós Nou berths in the Port of Maó. This was done to ensure compliance with the noise emission limit values set out by current regulations. The APB commissioned this assessment, which was carried out as a result of complaints received from several Maó citizens and after becoming aware of the results of a sound level measurement report carried out in January by the Maó Local Police. According to the report, the noise levels generated by the activity of the vessel in the port of Maó exceeded the limits established in Royal Decree 1367/2007, of 19 October, implementing Law 37/2003, of 17 November, on noise, in terms of acoustic zoning, quality objectives and acoustic emissions. As such, the document confirms that the Ciudad de Granada ship's port activity impacts the façade of residential buildings, and also recommends additional measurements. Trasmed's response After being informed of these results, Trasmed told the APB that it will request further measurements of its own before suggesting corrective measures to be adopted or applied so that noise does not exceed legal levels, bearing in mind that on 21 April, the Ciudad de Granada and the Ciudad de Palma, also operated by the same shipping company, were in the Port of Maó. These measurements will be taken on 8 and 9 June. Trasmed decided to anchor the Ciudad de Granada and spend the night outside the entrance to the Port of Maó on Saturday so as to avoid further non-compliance with noise emission regulations during the night. Trasmed has also announced that it intends to adapt the Ciudad de Granada, which has been in service in the Balearic Islands for more than twenty years, to the electrical shore connection system that the APB has put out to tender in the Port of Maó next January. This modification will significantly reduce any noise pollution, since the ship will be able to switch off the auxiliary engines it needs to generate energy for internal use.

Environment and CSR Transport and infrastructure

The APB and Ocibar move forward plans to open 100 mooring places in Marina Botafoch in the Port of Eivissa

20/05/2024

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) and Ocibar, Marina Botafoch's concession holder, have agreed to bring forward the opening of the 100 mooring places available to the APB in this marina during the winter months. This measure is a response to a request from the Pimeef Nautical Association. It aims to improve the operational capacity for users and business owners in the port. Furthermore, it includes an undertaking to ensure that the boats managed by Ibiza Yacht Harbour moored at the Ribera-Ponent quay can use these mooring places from now until 30 May, in case of stormy weather. This change means that the 100 mooring places at Marina Botafoc will be available ten days earlier than in previous years.

Transport and infrastructure Socio-economic development

The APB launches a tender for two cold ironing projects in the ports of Eivissa and Palma

13/05/2024

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) has launched a tender for two projects to build an electrical shore connection infrastructure for ships at the Botafoc docks in the Port of Eivissa and the Commercial docks in the Port of Palma. This technique is called cold ironing and is an alternative for ships to keep their machinery idle, which reduces noise and air pollution while they are moored in the port. The tender for the Port of Eivissa project comes to more than €6.1 million, while the budget for the Port of Palma is more than €2.8 million. The European Union is financing 40% of the investment cost through the NextGeneration funds. Construction is estimated to take 12 months to complete. These two projects provide medium and low voltage power supplies to enable electricity to be fed from the port to the ships that dock at the Pantalán Sur of the Botafoc dock in the Port of Eivissa and in the first outer stretch of the Commercial docks in the Port of Palma. These locations at the two general interest ports already have pre-installations for cold ironing system cabling. The two infrastructures will be prepared to connect a ferry-type ship with a maximum power demand of 1,600 kW (medium voltage) and another fast ferry-type ship with 800 kW (low voltage) to the electricity grid, although not simultaneously. Cold ironing in the ports of Alcúdia and Maó The APB is also working on the installation project for this system which allows direct electrical connection for ships in the ports of Alcúdia and Maó. The project for the Port of Alcúdia opened for tender last November and is currently pending adjudication. This system will provide electrical shore connection for ships docking at the Poniente docks. The budget is €2.6 million. The cold ironing project for the port of Maó will be carried out in Cós Nou. At present, bids are being received, since the invitation to tender was published in March. The cost in this case is €3.4 million. In total, the port organisation will invest €14.9 million to implement cold ironing systems in the ports of Palma, Alcúdia, Eivissa and Maó. The first cold ironing installation The APB launched a tender in 2019 for the first project in Spain for a medium-voltage electrical shore connection for ferries in the Port of Palma. At the end of 2021, trials of the cold ironing system began at the Paraires docks. In the end, the infrastructure will soon be put into regular service for ships docking in this part of the Port of Palma. This installation is ready to connect to the electricity grid (although not at the same time) a maximum power ferry and another fast ferry ship, in much the same way as the two projects that are in the tendering phase in Eivissa and Palma. The system has 275 metres of medium-voltage underground lines, a transformer station and a frequency-elevation substation for electrical hook-up in the service area of the Port of Palma.

Environment and CSR Next Generation UE Technology and innovation Transport and infrastructure

The APB organises the 7th Spanish Port System ICT Conferences in the Port of Palma

10/05/2024

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB), along with Puertos del Estado, organised the 7th Spanish Port System ICT Conference this week in the Port of Palma. Over a two-day period, more than 80 experts in Spanish port technology addressed cybersecurity and digitalisation in public administration. The participants attended 13 presentations aimed at improving aspects related to security and digital management. A key speaker was Chema Alonso, cybersecurity expert, member of Telefónica's Executive Committee and well-known Spanish hacker. Carlota Bustelo, an independent consultant specialising in information and document management, spoke about electronic archiving and the catalogue of procedures. The 7th ICT Conference also welcomed the collaboration of the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), which presented cybersecurity strategies designed for public bodies. Calvià Town Council also took part, explaining the lessons learned after a cyber-attack, as well as the Government of the Balearic Islands, which gave a presentation on non-cryptographic signatures. Working model APB director Toni Ginard stressed that “our biggest challenge in advancing digitisation is the transformation of people in the digital era. We need to manage the change in working models”. In turn, the deputy director of the APB, Santiago Alejos, head of the technological development and innovation department, said that “in a world where technology is advancing by leaps and bounds, our port infrastructures must not only keep up with the times, but also lead the way into the future”. This conference provides an opportunity for the Spanish Port System to exchange knowledge and experiences with the common goal of promoting and analysing the new challenges offered by the current panorama of ICT infrastructures, information security, electronic administration, new technologies, etc.

Technology and innovation

New railings added to the bike lane on Avenida Adolfo Suárez in the Port of Palma

08/05/2024

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) has replaced the bike lane's metal railings on Avenida Adolfo Suárez, in the Port of Palma, to ensure user safety and maintain the lane in good condition. A total of 1,698 metres of railings have been renovated. Work on the improvements was done in two phases. The first began in March and involved the renovation of 1,053 metres of railing, from the APB building to the Anima Beach Palma restaurant. The second phase was completed this week, ten days ahead of the deadline. Works have been carried out from the Anima Beach Palma restaurant to the pedestrian access stairway to Portitxol beach, which represents 645 metres of new railing. The total cost of the renovation project, awarded by public tender to the company Thicorca Herrrería y Construcción S.L., was just over €520,000.

Port-city