La Autoridad Portuaria de Baleares está recogiendo los testimonios directos de los últimos fareros de las Islas

La Autoridad Portuaria de Baleares está recogiendo los testimonios directos de los últimos fareros de las Islas

 09/01/2013

La Autoridad Portuaria de Baleares (APB) está recogiendo los testimonios de los últimos fareros de las Islas con la realización de una serie de entrevistas en vídeo a personas que tienen o han tenido una relación directa con este tradicional oficio. Con la puesta en marcha, hace unos años, del portal web www.farsdebalears.com, la APB expone al público, a través de la red, varias entrevistas a ex fareros o familiares que cuentan en primera persona sus vivencias directas con los faros.En la última entrega de estas entrevistas, el director del Jardín Botánico de Sóller, Josep Lluís Gradaille, explica como su infancia y adolescencia en el faro del sa Creu del Puerto de Sóller -donde su padre ejerció de farero-, marcó su madurez y su relación directa con la naturaleza y su forma de entenderla. En su blog personal, el presidente de la APB, José Mª Urrutia, afirma que esta iniciativa de recoger los testimonios de los último fareros de las Baleares persigue “el firme propósito de preservar para generaciones venideras la memoria viva de sus protagonistas y sus experiencias” a consecuencia de que en la Ley de Puertos y de la Marina Mercante de 1992 se declaró a extinguir el Cuerpo de Técnicos Mecánicos de Señales Marítimas.Entre otros testimonios que han sido recogidos por la APB figura el de Pere Bonet, el último farero de Portopí, el tercer faro en funcionamiento más antiguo del mundo, la historia de Santi Ribas, que heredó el oficio de su padre Jaume, farero del Botafoc, en el puerto de Eivissa o las calamidades por las que pasaban los fareros aislados en la Isla del Aire, en Menorca.Otros testimonios que están en producción y serán publicados en breve en www.farsdebalears.com son el regreso al faro de n’Ensiola, en la isla de Cabrera, del ibicenco Mariano Juan, veinte años después de su jubilación y las anécdotas de Bernat Reus en sa Dragonera, la isla de los tres faros.

Staff at the Port of Palma help out with “Operation Kilo”

Staff at the Port of Palma help out with “Operation Kilo”

 18/12/2012

Thanks to an initiative proposed by a group of workers at the Port of Palma, staff from the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) have been busy collecting foodstuffs to be donated to the “Operation Kilo” campaign, organised by the Majorca Food Bank (www.banalima.com), which will then be distributed to people in need. The initiative centred on collecting non-perishable foodstuffs packed in one kilo or litre units so as to facilitate their subsequent distribution. In addition, the APB has voluntarily donated a stock of disused clothes to the Food Bank so they can be reutilised.

Demolition of the former Old Quay buildings gets underway at the Port of Palma

Demolition of the former Old Quay buildings gets underway at the Port of Palma

22/11/2012

This morning saw the first excavators move into the former Old Quay buildings at the Port of Palma. Clearing this site will provide the space for the construction of a new service building for a new large yacht marina. Demolition work started on the emblematic La Lubina Restaurant building which for years was one of the port’s centrepoints and was renowned for its traditional fish and seafood-based cuisine. Amarres Deportivos, S.L., a company which is part of the Banco Pastor group, is set to take over the management of the new premises, offices and berths scheduled to be built on the Old Quay at the Port of Palma. The project aims to transform and modernise an already existing nautical and recreational area and will have a surface area of 15,000 square metres on port land managed by the APB. The project will involve opening up the quay to the city thus providing citizens with access to the waterfront and the extension of the Borne and Antoni Maura promenades. A new building will play host to a variety of businesses, including different types of premises and offices, as well as a café and a restaurant. The building’s roof will be transformed into a spacious public mirador and seating area which will be accessed via a wide stairway that will act as the extension of the Antoni Maura and Sagrera promenades. The concessionaire will also be in charge of managing a total of 26 berths for craft and yachts between 15 and 40 metres long. The concession fee paid by the recipient will bring over €1 million to the public coffers every year. In addition to this fee, the concessionaire has committed to investing over €8 million in the modernisation and transformation of the current nautical and recreational facilities. The concession for managing the Old Quay facilities has been set at 16 years and 9 months, a period which is slightly shorter than the 17 years stipulated in the tender conditions.

The PAB renews its cooperation agreement with the Menorca Island Council for handling emergencies at the Port of Maó

The PAB renews its cooperation agreement with the Menorca Island Council for handling emergencies at the Port of Maó

13/11/2012

The APB and the Menorca Island Council have today renewed their cooperation agreement on occupational health and safety, firefighting, sea rescue and civil defence for the Port of Maó. This extends the agreement signed in 2001 for another fifteen years and aims to increase safety levels at the Port of Maó’s service area both on land and at sea. The agreement was ratified with the signing of the document by the APB Chairman, José María Urrutia, and by the Council’s President, Santiago Tadeo, at the island government’s headquarters today. Under the agreement, the APB will pay €50,000 per year, will acquire consumables to the value of €51,000 and will defray the purchase of a fire engine valued at €199,000, net of VAT, which will be owned by the Port Authority but will be loaned to the Menorca Fire Service. For its part, the Menorca Island Council undertakes to contribute the necessary human capital and material resources to ensure safety at the port, and to train the APB staff. Both Santiago Tadeo and José María Urrutia valued this agreement positively as it takes advantage of the resources and synergies available, and therefore prevents services being duplicated.

Marina Deportiva de Menorca, S.L. chosen to manage berths on the north bank of the Port of Maó

Marina Deportiva de Menorca, S.L. chosen to manage berths on the north bank of the Port of Maó

 05/11/2012

The APB’s Board of Directors has chosen the company Marina Deportiva de Menorca, S.L. as the best candidate to manage the berths on the north bank of the Port of Maó. At the board meeting held on 31st October, the Board of Directors also agreed to process the corresponding concession for the service.The APB put out the call for the management of berths on the north bank of the Port of Maó in the month of February following the decision by the company Ocibar to stop providing the service. The concession offered to Marina Deportiva de Menorca, S.L. is for a period of nine years and eleven months. The annual concession fee is €210,000 and the investment budget is set at €1.9 million.

The APB moves to its new offices in the Port of Palma

The APB moves to its new offices in the Port of Palma

15/10/2012

Today the APB moved into its new office building at the Port of Palma. Practically all the Port Authority’s administrative staff are now installed under the same roof instead of being in different buildings as they have been up until now. This means that all the customer services, which were previously located in different places, are now centralised in the new headquarters. This will make administrative management more efficient as users will be attended to in the same building. The new building has three main features. On one hand, it preserves the symbolic elements of the Old Quay as the façade of the former Trasmediterránea building has been maintained. Secondly, the building is environmentally sustainable as it has been adapted to take advantage of natural resources. And finally, it has been constructed to ensure coherent urban planning between the port and the city by avoiding overground vehicle parking as far as possible with the construction of an underground car park. The investment for this project totalled around €16.3 million and was financed entirely with the APB’s own funds. The construction of the new building provided direct employment to an average of 35 people over a period of 24 months, although at certain peak periods there were 96 people working on the project.

Cruise companies with small and medium length ships visit the Balearic and ports on a fam trip

Cruise companies with small and medium length ships visit the Balearic and ports on a fam trip

14/09/2012

The APB has organized, in coordination with the Spanish Tourist Office in Miami, a familiarization trip (fam trip) of the Balearic Islands in order to expose them as tourist destinations to the major, internationally known cruise lines of small and median length ships. Representatives from a total of three cruise companies will visit the islands this week and make contacts with different institutions concerned with tourism. Collaborating with the organization of this fam trip are the Tourism Agency of the Balearic Islands (ATB), the Ministry of Tourism of the Government of the Balearic Islands, the Council of Formentera, the municipal governments of Palma, Alcudia, Mahon and Ibiza, the Fundació Destí Menorca, the Palma 365 Foundation and other companies active in this sector of the industry. Besides getting to know the port facilities and projects that APB has launched to boost cruise traffic in each of its ports, the delegation will make trips to the different islands. Thus, representatives of Paul Gauguin Cruises, Crystal Cruises and Silversea Cruises will visit the ports of Alcudia and Palma and the island of Majorca on the 17th and 20th of September, the port and the island of Ibiza on the 18th, the port of La Savina and the island of Formentera on the 19th, and finally conclude their tour with a visit to the port of Mahon and Minorca on the 21st. This initiative is in response to the permanent contact the APB maintains as a promoter of the Balearic Islands as an international tourist destination for cruise ships. In fact, the plan for this expedition was finalized at the latest edition of the Cruise Shipping Miami Convention, the international fair of the world´s largest cruise companies, which is celebrated in this American city every March. Companies from the tourism sector which took part in this initiative were: Intercruises, Iberoservice, BC Tours, Baleària, Trasmapi, Meliá Hotels, Hotel Ushuaia Beach, Grupo Pacha, Cova d´en Xoroi, Son Martorellet, Cipriani restaurants, Nàutic and BLD de es Baluard, the Fort of San Felipe in es Castell and the Majorca Cathedral.

Several Duty Free locations up for tender at the port of Palma

Several Duty Free locations up for tender at the port of Palma

10/09/2012

The port of Palma has tendered the operation of several public premises located at Ferry Terminals 1 and 4, and at the existing building on the platform attached to the Dique del Oeste dock, for the installation of duty free shops, known as Duty Free. The total area to be tendered amounts to two hundred and ninety square meters distributed unevenly, to provide services for retail sales for a period of less than five years and a fee to improve of 155,246.75 euros. These stores are designed to respond to a million cruise tourists annually visiting the port of Palma.

The APB offers three business options at the port of Palma

The APB offers three business options at the port of Palma

01/09/2012

The APB is currently offering three opportunities with favorable conditions for entrepreneurs who wish to start restaurant and catering businesses in the port of Palma. These three sites, suitable for cafes, are located at the Can Barbarà dock, used for local traffic and tourist boats at the fort of San Carlos Castle. At the Can Barbarà dock the available location has about 200 square meters and was the former port bathhouse. The fees are established at about 23,600 euros, plus VAT, under the concept of a public port and an operating license. The holding period for the new concession is a maximum of ten years. At the old military battery of San Carlos, located at the Dique del Oeste dock, a new tender is expected, due out shortly. The proposal seeks to provide a cafeteria and a tourist information desk in the old advanced battery of San Carlos, recently restored by the APB. This competition, which will offer between 10 and 15 years of operation, aims to provide a new urban space, open to both citizens and passengers of cruise ships, to admire the view of the bay of Palma, from an area which has been until now inaccessible to the public. Regarding the existing cafeteria and parking at the dock known as the Golondrina Dock, the APB has announced another contest in which the annual operating fee has been reduced by 68% from that of former operator. The new manager will have to pay something in excess of 109,000 euros. Besides the bar with terrace that faces the moorings of the tourist boats, the concessionaire may also exploit the 90 parking spaces and existing payment system.

European legislation improving air quality in the port of Palma

European legislation improving air quality in the port of Palma

 21/08/2012

The sulfur dioxide levels in the port of Palma have been reduced by 66% as a result of European policies aimed at improving the quality of the air we breathe in Europe. Sulfur dioxide is a major air pollutant that causes acid rain and generates fine dust. This dust is dangerous to human health as it causes respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. A team of EU-funded researchers has shown that the observed reduction is a direct result of the application of Directive 1999/32/EC of the European Union, which imposes limits on the sulfur content of fuels used by ships at berth or anchored at ports of its territory and which came into effect in January 2010. The four Mediterranean ports that were investigated were Civitavecchia, Savona, Palma de Mallorca and Tunisia.

General cargo traffic recovers after five years of decline

General cargo traffic recovers after five years of decline

15/08/2012

Total traffic in ports of general interest of the Balearic Islands has increased for the first time since 2007, thanks largely to the rise in general cargo transport. In the first six months of this year the total freight traffic has seen an increase of five percent, 5.8 million tonnes compared to 5.6 recorded in the same period of 2011. For ports, Palma is the fastest-rising, as freight is up 10 percent. The port of La Savina in Formentera has also registered an increase of one per cent, while that of Eivissa is down one percent and Mahon has dropped 23 percent. The significant drop registered in the Mahon port is due to competition following the launch of the new Ciutadella dock Ander PortsIB. It is the first semester since 2007 that growth has been recorded in this section, although in 2011 it was positive throughout the year with a slight increase of 0.99%.