Noticias APB | Ports de Balears

The APB approves the terms and conditions for the provision of passenger services at the Balearic Islands’ public-interest ports

07/03/2014

Yesterday afternoon, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands’ (APB) Board of Directors approved the terms and conditions for the provision of passenger services at the five ports it manages, Palma, Alcudia, Mahon, Ibiza, and La Savina. This marks the end of the process that began with the entry into force of Spanish Law 48/2003, of 26th November, on the economic regulations for and supply of services by public-interest ports, in which this service was envisaged for the first time, and which subsequent amendments to this Law also maintained. To comply with legislation, the APB initiated the administrative procedure for the terms and conditions of this service, taking into account, and aiming to reach a consensus with, the sectors involved. After the approval of the terms and conditions yesterday, any company that meets the stipulated requirements may ask to provide passenger services in competition with the current licence holders. These services include baggage check-in and reclaim, the use of scanners, operating passenger boarding bridges, and boarding for passengers with reduced mobility. The introduction of these terms and conditions regulates a service which is of strategic importance to the APB and to the region, defining and introducing guidelines that measure the quality of the service provided. Accordingly, the quality, safety, security, transparency, and competitiveness of our ports are all enhanced, meeting the demands made by cruise companies for these services. The extra cost involved in improving the quality of this service will be met by the APB, which will introduce a 30% rebate on the passenger charge in the Port Authority’s Business Plan to offset the increase. This measure makes our ports more competitive as it increases service quality without putting up the cost of vessel calls. The forecasts for 2014 estimate that the APB’s earnings will decrease by around €8 million as a result of the reduction in this and other charges.

The Port of Ibiza plans a new seafront which will integrate the port with the city

01/03/2014

Today, via its website, www.portsdebalears.com, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has announced the project to redesign the Port of Ibiza’s seafront. The objective of the plan, which aims to achieve seamless integration between the port and the city, is to create a square, a bike lane, remove physical barriers between both areas, and restrict vehicle access in the area. In this new urban space, designed for the Ibiza Marina, and agreed by consensus with the Ibiza Town Council, car parks have been removed, only leaving parking spaces that are strictly necessary for cruise passenger services, and marina users. Road access will be restricted to public transport, emergency-service vehicles and supply vehicles. The project envisages the use of high quality, long-lasting construction elements, such as street furniture, pergolas, and other building materials, which are similar to those currently in use in the town of Ibiza, and have been proposed by the Town Council. Building work is scheduled to start on 15th September 2014, and finish in May 2015. The tender has been set at €8 million. Square at Es Martell The APB plans to demolish the current building, at Es Martell, which was the former passenger terminal but is now in disuse. This will enable a pedestrian square with a surface area of almost 5,000m2 to be created. 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, amongst others.

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands aims to start dredging work at the Port of Maó next Monday

26/02/2014

Today, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) informed the Maó port community that dredging work at the Port of Maó is scheduled to start on 3rd March. In an e-mail sent to the main port operators, the APB Chairman, Alberto Pons, explained that, in his view, the dredging work “is a very important project for the island in terms of traffic, services, and safety”. According to Pons, “This is a major step forward in increasing the safety of vessel manoeuvres, and in enabling the Port of Maó to cater for cruise ships and larger vessels, in the near future, thus increasing the number of passengers, and by extension, providing more services. The Chairman ended his message to the Maó port community on a positive note, expressing his wish that “by working together, I hope we can contribute to the creation of a new safe port area of which we can all be proud”.

La APB premiada con el Premio Especial Cruises News al Notable Crecimiento de Pasajeros

21/02/2014

La Autoridad Portuaria de Baleares (APB) recibió ayer el Premio Especial Cruises News al Notable Crecimiento de Pasajeros que otorgó Cruises News Media Group, en el transcurso del acto de entrega de los Premios Excellence, que organizó ayer en el Museo de Arte Moderno y Contemporáneo de es Baluart en Palma de Mallorca esta prestigiosa consultora de comunicación y marketing especializada la industria mundial de cruceros. La distinción fue recogida por la responsable comercial, Xisca Leal, y el responsable de operaciones portuarias de la APB, Samuel Fernández, de manos de Cristina López de Cruises News Media Group.Palma fue ayer el escenario del Balearic Cruise Day con la celebración de la II edición del Baleares Cruise Forum y la ceremonia de la VII edición de los Premios Excellence de cruceros, todo ello organizado por Cruises News Media Group y promovido por la APB, el Govern de les Illes Balears, el Ayuntamiento de Palma y con la colaboración del Ayuntamiento de Eivissa, el Ayuntamiento de Alcúdia, el Ayuntamiento de Maó-Mahón, Transcoma Baleares, Air Europa, Air Berlín, Meliá Hoteles y la Cámara de Comercio de Mallorca.

Palma celebrates the Balearic Cruise Day

19/02/2014

Tomorrow, Palma de Majorca will be celebrating the Balearic Cruise Day, which consists of the 2nd Balearic Island Cruise Forum and the prize-giving ceremony for the 7th Cruise Excellence Awards, both organised by Cruises News Media Group, a communication and marketing consultancy firm specialised in the world cruise industry, and the organiser of the Madrid International Cruise Summit, sponsored by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB). The APB has committed heavily to promoting cruises in its ports and cities through the Balearic Cruise Day, an event which will bring many of the key players in the Spanish and European cruise industries together in the city of Palma on 20th February. Following the success of the first Balearic Islands Cruise Forum, held on 9th February 2012, the second forum aims to analyse the progress behind the steady increase in the number of calls and passengers in Balearic Island ports, and prepare for a future which looks very bright. Over 1.5 million passengers and 699 cruise ships visited the APB’s ports in 2013, thus consolidating the islands as the second Spanish destination in terms of visiting cruise passenger figures. The Balearic Islands Cruise Forum, which is to be held tomorrow at the Majorca Chamber of Commerce, has been promoted by the Balearic Islands Government, the Palma City Council, and the APB, with the cooperation of the Ibiza Town Council, the Alcudia Town Council, the Mahon Town Council, Transcoma Baleares, Air Europa, Air Berlín, Meliá Hoteles and the Majorca Chamber of Commerce. Participants in the forum include Alfredo Serrano, Director of the recently created CLIA Spain Luis de Carvalho, an expert consultant in the cruise industry the islands’ main tour operators, and representatives of the shipping companies Aida, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Costa Cruises and Thomson Cruises. Excellence Awards Up until now, the Cruise Excellence Awards had been held in Barcelona and Malaga, yet the APB’s promotion strategy has succeeded in bringing them to Palma. The prize-giving ceremony, whose main sponsor is the APB, will be held tomorrow evening at the Es Baluard Museum. Other event sponsors include Logitravel, BC Tours &amp Shipping, the Palma City Council, Alas Marinas, Delivery Warehouse, Avanza Grupo, Viajes Kontiki and Cruises in the Atlantic Islands. The Cruise Excellence Awards are given to shipping companies, ports and destinations in different categories, and are the result of a macro survey answered by cruise passengers, making the awards even more special, as they are based on the assessments of real holidaymakers. For further information, go to: www.cruisesnews.es/BalearesCF www.premiosexcellence.com informacion@cruisesnews.es

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands exhibits the entries submitted to the 4th Port and Lighthouse Painting and Photography Competition

17/02/2014

From 21st February to 8th March, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) will be exhibiting the entries submitted to the 4th Painting and Photography Competition on the Islands’ public-interest ports and lighthouses, at the Carme Cloister in Mahon. Over 300 entries from all the islands were submitted to the competition in October 2013. These entries were divided into three categories: watercolour, other painting techniques and photography. Around one hundred of these works were shortlisted for an exhibition in Palma de Majorca, which was visited by over 12,000 people during the Christmas period. Some of these works were also recently shown to the public at the Coves Blanques lighthouse exhibition hall in Sant Antoni de Portmany, on the island of Ibiza. The 12 winning entries, and the competition entries presented in Mahon, will now be exhibited at the Carme Cloister. One of the winning entries, entitled Cap de Favàritx, features a Minorcan landscape, painted by Diana Bustamente, the winner of the other painting technique category. The exhibition runs from 21st February to 8th March, at the Carme Cloister exhibition hall in Mahon. It is open from 10.00-13.00 and 18.00-21.00, from Tuesday to Friday, and from 10.00-13.00, on Saturday. Art in ports This is the fourth consecutive year that the APB has sponsored this competition on Balearic Island lighthouses and the public-interest ports of Palma, Alcudia, Mahon, Ibiza and La Savina. The aim of the competition is to reflect general interest in these everyday, yet unique, places through art.

In 2015, the Port of Palma is scheduled to welcome 139,000 passengers on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, generating an economic impact of over €8 million for the city

17/02/2014

Next year, the world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, will be calling at Palma. The ship, which is 361 metres long, can carry a maximum total of 6,318 passengers. In 2015, the Oasis-class vessel will be making a total of 22 calls at the Port of Palma. It will be the first time the ship visits Europe as, up until now, it has only been used on Caribbean routes, with Fort Lauderdale (Miami) as its home port. According to the APB Chairman, Alberto Pons, “We are delighted that Palma has been chosen as a port of call for the world’s largest cruise ship as this endorses the investment and promotion efforts made by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands”. In a joint press conference, which was also attended by Mateo Isern, the Mayor of Palma de Majorca, and Belén Wangüemert, Royal Caribbean’s General Manager for Spain and France, Pons highlighted the huge impact that the arrival of a ship of this kind has on the tourism industry and on cruise-based businesses. Belén Wangüemert pointed out that the 139,000 passengers that are set to call at the Port of Palma will spend over €8 million in the city, whilst the ship’s crew will spend another €500,000. Royal Caribbean’s General Manager for Spain stated the Allure of the Seas stands out from other ships not only because of its size (the equivalent of three football pitches), but also because of its innovative features, and the wide range of activities and facilities it includes, such as a park with over 12,000 plants, an open-air aquatheatre, and a beach-pool. A reference point in the Mediterranean In the press conference, Mateo Isern, the Mayor of Palma de Majorca, pointed out that “thanks to the Port of Palma’s infrastructure, and to the changes the city has undergone, Palma has become a highly attractive destination for cruise tourism, and is now a reference point in the Mediterranean, a fact which is borne out by Royal Caribbean´s strategic decision to choose our city”. Isern added that “Palma has it all. It offers a wide range of different, high-quality activities and facilities that are available all year round, and this is what makes it special”. The Allure of the Seas is scheduled to arrive in Palma in May 2015, and will call at the port until mid-October. During this time, 22 seven-night cruises are scheduled from Barcelona, taking in Marseilles, La Spezia (Florence and Pisa), Civitavecchia (Rome), and Naples, as well as Palma de Majorca.

Balearic Island public-interest ports registered over 5.8 million passengers in 2013

10/02/2014

In 2013, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) registered an 18% gain in cruise passengers, and an 11% rise in ferry passengers. This increased the total number of passengers calling at Balearic Island public-interest ports last year to over 5.8 million. A closer look at these figures reveals an 11% rise over 2012, with over 1.5 million cruise passengers visiting the APB’s ports on 699 calls, thus consolidating the ports’ leading position in the world cruise market. In terms of individual ports, the Port of Palma was visited by over 1.2 million passengers, which represented a 27% increase compared to 2012. However, it was the Port of Mahon, with a 78% rise, and almost 96,000 visitors, that accounted for the largest rise in cruise traffic. With regard to ferry traffic, the Port of Ibiza was the most visited in 2013, with over 1.8 million passengers, representing a 12% increase compared to the previous year. However, it should be remembered that the ferry service to and from the Formentera port of La Savina accounted for 1.3 million of these passengers, representing a 9% rise over 2012. In fact, La Savina was the port with the highest number of domestic ferry passengers in the Balearic Islands. More general cargo In terms of general cargo, that is, consumer goods, the slight growth registered over the past two years continued, with an increase of 3% and 8.7 million tonnes. The Port of Alcudia led this growth with a 9% rise in tonnes compared to 2012. Conversely, the total amount of goods traffic handled at APB-managed public-interest ports dropped slightly by 1%, to 11.4 million tonnes. For further statistical information, visit www.portsdebalears.com.

The Institutional Forum for Quality in the Public Sector in the Balearic Islands visits the Port Authority headquarters

24/01/2014

This morning, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) presented its human resource management experience, and the energy-saving policies it has implemented in its new offices at the Port of Palma, to a delegation from the Institutional Forum for Quality in the Public Sector in the Balearic Islands. The workshop was organised by the APB, which has been a member of the Forum since 2013, and centred on port authority managers providing the Institutional Forum for Quality with an insight into their experience of competence-based management as part of the APB’s human resource policy, as well as a presentation on energy efficiency at the port authority offices, including a visit to its new headquarters. The meeting finished with a guided tour around the Port of Palma in which the most relevant aspects of port infrastructure were explained. Institutional Forum for Quality The Institutional Forum for Quality in the Public Sector in the Balearic Islands was founded in 2005, and comprises public-sector bodies and companies from the Islands which aim to promote the exchange of quality management experiences across institutions, in order to make these bodies more efficient. Other members of the Forum for Quality include the Palma City Council, the Calvià Town Council, the Majorcan and Minorcan Island Councils, several regional government ministries, the Balearic Islands’ University (UIB), and the Central Government Office in the region, amongst other official companies and organisations.

The Port of Palma set to register its best ever winter cruise season.

18/12/2013

This winter, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) is set to register its best ever low season in cruise traffic, with an 80% increase in calls from November 2013 to March 2014. This constitutes an excellent measure to counteract the seasonal nature of tourism. A total of 61 cruise calls are scheduled during the low season, i.e. 15th November 2013 to 15th March 2014, compared to the 34 calls registered during the previous year. The most significant increase has come in the number of home port calls, due in part to the fact that the ships AIDAmar and AIDAsol have chosen the Port of Palma to start and end their cruises, and to the constant efforts of the APB to promote the Balearic Islands as an attractive destination on the international tourism market. A monthly analysis of cruise activity at the Port of Palma reveals that February, which has traditionally been very quiet, is now on a par with the other winter months. The month of December is set to register 14 calls compared to 8 in 2012. Fifteen calls are scheduled for January 2014 compared to 7 in 2013. Calls in February are set to rise from 4 in 2013 to 13 in 2014, whilst figures for the last two weeks of November and the first week of March remain stable. Back to a million In addition, the Port of Palma has returned to the million mark in a single season with figures hitting 1.2 million cruise passengers during the current year, i.e. a 25% increase over 2012. As a whole, the five public interest ports managed by the APB have recorded a total of 1.5 million passengers, an increase of 15% for the year. The number of calls has risen to 703, a 11% rise over 2012. A moderate increase in the number of calls and passengers is also expected for 2014.

The APB headquarters plays host to the official presentation of the 63rd Ciutat de Palma Dinghy Class Trophy

04/12/2013

The APB headquarters played host to the official press presentation of the 63rd Ciutat de Palma Dinghy Class Trophy. The event will be held from 5th to 8th December. The regatta, which has been organised by the Palma Royal Yacht Club, has 493 participants from 14 different countries. The fleet is made up of 383 Optimist, 22 Laser Radial, 24 Laser 4.7 and 32 420 dinghy boats. The Ciutat de Palma is the most important youth sailing competition in the Balearics and the oldest sporting contest held on the Islands. The large numbers of participants means two regatta courses need to be drawn up and the Optimist fleet has to be divided into several different groups. Over 50 staff are needed to organise the event. The APB contributes to the organisation of this prestigious sporting event by providing public port land, APB staff, and logistics. It also awards the prize for the winning Balearic Island sailor in the Optimist category. The APB Chairman, Alberto Pons, highlighted the sailing promotion efforts made by Ports de Balears in the organisation of this and other sporting events that are held at its State-owned public-interest ports.

The Unimarina Experts’ Committee visits the APB’s facilities

26/11/2013

Today, Alberto Pons, the Chairman of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB), and representatives of the Balearic Islands marina industry held a meeting at the APB offices in the Port of Palma with the executive members of the Unimarina Experts’ Committee who are currently visiting Palma to finalise the details for the official launch of this global distribution platform for marinas at the next Palma Boat Show. Unimarina (GDS-Marinas) is the name given to this tool aimed at carrying out online marina transactions, which is just as revolutionary as the first Global Distribution Systems (GDS) were for airports and airlines in the 1970s. Unimarina has been jointly developed by Portbooker and Travelport with the support and active participation of the State Agency for Innovation Management and Tourism Technology (Segittur) which is dependent on the Secretary of State for Tourism. The main stakeholders in the region’s pleasure boat industry coincided that the GDS for marinas developed by the Majorcan company, Portbooker, together with Travelport will constitute a landmark in the business management of marinas around the world, as it will bring all online marina service operations together under one umbrella. In addition to highlighting the important existing market in the Balearic Islands in terms of the implementation of new technologies for marinas, the APB Chairman, Alberto Pons, also pointed out to the Unimarina Experts’ Committee “the sector’s huge development potential on the islands of Majorca, Minorca and Ibiza” . For further information, go to www.unimarina.org.