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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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Lighthouses of the Balearic Islands

Ships in Port

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Air quality

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Location

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Visit our lighthouses

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Navigation aids

Interesting links

Annual Report

This publication details the APB’s financial situation, the technical characteristics of its public ports and provides an overview of the institution’s activities.

Notice Boards

Link to the APB’s e-office which features the official notice boards on public information, human resources, public port land, and auctions, as well as other notices.

Sustainability Reports

This report sets out the actions carried out to create value for the APB’s stakeholders, in compliance with its commitment to transparent management.

Costumer Service

The APB has a communication channel for users to request information, make suggestions, and lodge complaints about its ports and lighthouses.

Statistics

These provide a detailed picture about the traffic using the public ports of Palma, Alcudia, Mahon, Ibiza and La Savina.

Financial Statements

Comprehensive information, including the audit report, of the most recent financial statements passed by the APB's Board of Directors, and given a favourable report by the Spanish National Audit Office.

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