The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) accepted the work on the Botafoc maritime station in the port of Eivissa today. After its conclusion, at the end of last month, documentation started to be delivered by the contracting companies to the APB, which in turn sent it to the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA). This process culminated today with the visit of an inspector from the Ministry, who toured the new facilities and confirmed that the work carried out was in accordance with the project.

Finally, the official acceptance of the work took place with the signatures of the representative of the Joint Venture contractor, the director of the works, the head of the Planning and Infrastructures Area, the director of the APB, the president of the APB, Jaume Colom, and the MITMA inspector himself.

The maritime station will enter into service on 6 June. Until then, some minor complementary contracts will be finalised, such as the use of security scanners or the authorisation procedures for the cafeteria and public transport services, among others.

More than 16 million euros

The APB awarded the construction works for the new maritime station in April 2019 to the Comsa-MB joint venture, for a budget of 16,330,960.06 euros.

The new building, which follows the tradition of Ibizan architecture using straight lines, and white and reddish-toned tidal stone, will offer all the services to meet the needs of passengers, with priority being given to compliance with safety and accessibility measures. It will offer its users spacious waiting areas, separate embarkation and disembarkation areas and all the amenities to guarantee passenger comfort, as well as allowing up to six vessels to operate simultaneously.

The new maritime station is located between the North and South pontoons of the Botafoc docks and is 30 metres away from the sea. It has an area of 6,580 metres between the two floors and the mezzanine. The ground floor will house the pre-boarding services and security controls, while the mezzanine will have offices. The upper floor is designed with a walkable roof that will provide access to the embarkation and disembarkation walkways.

Agreed project

The final project for the new maritime station is based on the winning project of a competition for ideas that was judged by the Eivissa City Council, the Balearic Association of Maritime Activities Employers (APEAM), the Association of Architects, the Association of Civil Engineers of the Balearic Islands and the APB. Finally, the project tendered by the APB received a favourable report from the Urban Planning Department of the Eivissa City Council.

This infrastructure completes the objective set out in the Infrastructure Master Plan for the port of Eivissa, which establishes the transfer to the Botafoc quays of the port operations that were most annoying for the city, such as the embarkation and disembarkation of goods and regular line passengers, resulting in the decongestion of the Levante quay, now converted into the Marina promenade.

The president of the APB, Jaume Colom, has valued the construction of this infrastructure, which “completes the work on Port-City integration that we have been carrying out at the APB” and which improves the experience of using the facilities for passengers, “who will be able to enjoy both the station and the magnificent views over the bay”.