Noticias APB | Ports de Balears

PRIZEWINNERS ARE SELECTED FOR THE APB's 10th PAINTING AND PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

03/12/2019

The prizewinners of the popular Painting and Photography Contest run by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) have now been selected. The contest is organised annually by the port authority in collaboration with the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Palma de Mallorca and is very well received by the public, with €8,000 in prizes up for grabs. Over one hundred works were entered in this year's edition, divided into three categories: watercolour, other painting techniques and photography. The winning works were carefully selected from among those entered and will be placed on display at the Military History &amp Culture Centre of The Balearic Islands in Palma from Wednesday 4 December. The exhibition will be on here until 4 January. Afterwards, as is tradition, it will tour the neighbouring islands making a stop in Ibiza, at the Ses Coves Blanques lighthouse in Sant Antoni de Portmany (from 28 February to 21 March). A national contest This edition had entries from all of the Balearic Islands as well as other mainland cities including Granada, Málaga, Girona, Tarragona and Ciudad Real, among others. First prize in the Watercolour category went to José María Sánchez Gutiérrez for his work Amanece en Alcúdia. The winner of the Other Painting Techniques was Andrés Figueras Salvat for her pieceProtegidos en el puerto. Ibiza. Last but not least, the first prize for Photography this year was awarded to David Esteban Liljedahl for his work Serenidad (Faro de Portocolom). With the contest's national scope, the APB ensures that the objective set at the very beginning—to capture, by means of visual art, the popular interest that is aroused by places as ordinary and unique as the ports of interest and the lighthouses in the Balearic Islands—is met and grows with every new edition of this contest. Check out the winners and dates of the exhibitions.

APB puts management of the bar & café and restaurant in the Port of Alcudia’s passenger terminal out to tender

25/11/2019

The Official State Gazette (BOE) has published the decision by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) Board of Directors to put out to tender the management of the bar &amp café and restaurant in the Port of Alcudia’s passenger terminal. The purpose of the tender is to choose the best bid for the award of an administrative concession to provide this public service for a maximum period of ten years. The tender allows bidders to propose two options: running the bar &amp café on the ground floor along with the restaurant on the first floor, or just running the bar &amp café. Preference will be given to the former option, which means that only if no valid bid is submitted for the joint operation of the two premises will bids for the bar &amp café service on its own be evaluated. The annual lease charge to be bettered by bidders is €6,512.43 while the annual operations charge to be paid to the APB will be 4% of turnover. Nearly 340,000 passengers a year use the Port of Alcudia’s passenger terminal and it has scheduled services with the ports of Barcelona, Ciutadella and Toulon in France.

APB puts management of its historic headquarters out to tender for its conversion into a “port-city” interpretation centre

19/11/2019

The Official State Gazette (BOE) today published the decision by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) Board of Directors to put out to tender the management of its historic building on the Old Quay in the Port of Palma and its conversion into a “port-city” interpretation centre. The APB’s historic headquarters is currently being remodelled to turn it into a public facility and it will subsequently be run via an administrative concession. The future interpretation centre is to have several separate areas explaining the history of the ports and their connection with their urban setting. It will also be turned into a meeting point for social and cultural events open to all audiences. Some of its facilities will be set aside for the APB including a newspaper archive, a library, a meeting room for the Board of Directors and an exhibition room about the Balearic Islands’ public ports and lighthouses. The concessionaire will operate a multipurpose venue in which it will have to schedule and organise a range of artistic and socially relevant events throughout the year aimed at the general public. It will also run a shop for the interpretation centre whose main role will be to publicise port contents by selling books, catalogues and other media promoting the port’s operations and image. Finally, it will provide a bar, restaurant and café service split between the second and third floors covering around 630 square metres and featuring two terraces overlooking Majorca Cathedral and the Bay of Palma. The concessionaire will be responsible for the maintenance, cleaning, surveillance, control and security of the facilities along with encouraging people to visit the interpretation centre and the APB’s exhibition room. The annual lease charge to be bettered by bidders is €138,871.49 and the concession will last at most fifteen years. Remodelling by the APB While the APB’s historic headquarters will be managed indirectly through a concession, the remodelling of the old building is to be carried out by the APB. Acciona Construcción has been awarded the works with public investment coming to almost €5.5 million. The construction plan maintains the building’s entire exterior façade with the exception of the East side which is to be replaced by a large stained-glass window that will also be a vantage point. The neoclassical building now being remodelled is listed and was constructed in 1940. In 1955 it was extended to its current 1,314 square metres of plot. Refurbishment work began in February 2019 and is expected to be completed by summer 2020.

APB begins the final stage of upgrading the Port of La Savina

25/10/2019

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has begun the final stage of enhancing the Port of La Savina following the end of the tourism high season and with the intention of completing it before the next summer season. This new stage is divided into three parts so as to keep inconvenience for residents and users to a minimum. This week, operations have kicked off in the zone next to the passenger terminal which includes taxi and bus parking and the passenger boarding area. This first stage is expected to be completed before Christmas. Road traffic for embarkation and disembarkation will not be disrupted as vehicle movements will be coordinated with the work while pedestrian crossing routes will be changed but not interrupted as the upgrade progresses. The bus stops and taxi ranks will be temporarily moved to the area between the passenger terminal and the parking facility and will continue to operate as normal. The second works site will affect the road and adjacent areas of the Poniente jetty, the fishermen’s association building and part of s’Almadrava Street. Road traffic and pedestrian crossings will not be interrupted here either, although there may be changes to their routes as the work moves forward. Finally, the third operational area will involve the fishing or Levante quay and is expected to be completed by April 2020. The project has an overall budget of €6.7 million and is designed by the APB to encourage people to spend more time in the Port of La Savina by prioritising and upgrading pedestrian and bike routes in particular. The intention is to make the port feel less like somewhere to “pass through” by adding some points of interest to improve the experience and numbers of both tourists and local residents in the Port of La Savina and Formentera.

The port of Palma joins the Cruise 2030 initiative, driven by the Venice port, to shape the cruise industry of the future in Europe

18/10/2019

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) joins the "CRUISE 2030 CALL FOR ACTION" initiative, driven by the Venice port, with the aim of finding the way for industry of the cruises is compatible with the demands of the European ports. The kick-off meeting of the Working Group, based on some of the main European Cruise ports, took place today in Venice. A representative of the International Transport Forum also attended the meeting. The delegations of seven of the main cruise destinations in Europe, namely Amsterdam, Palma de Mallorca, Bergen, Cannes, Dubrovnik, Malaga, Marseille Fos, have answered to the impulse received by the Port of Venice during the last summer with the “CRUISE 2030 CALL FOR ACTION”. The main goal of the initiative is to delineate a common platform of customized strategies to support the development of the cruise industry in a sustainable manner, with the aim of matching more the needs of the industry with the demands of the Cities and territories. Participants have all agreed upon the importance of the economical and occupational aspects of the cruise industry but, at the same time, they have found fundamental the need to intervene in a coordinated way to reduce or eliminate the impacts and burdens related to the Cruise industry, rethinking together with the operators the business model so far adopted. During the meeting, each port had the opportunity to underline and point out the main issues faced, and how these are tackled. In order to achieve a better understanding, the Port of Venice has performed a survey and an assessment to individuate the specific needs and actions necessary for each port. The next meeting has been already decided and scheduled for next January and it will be hosted by the Port of Palma de Mallorca. In the meanwhile the participants have agreed to work towards the drafting of a common action plan with the aim to prepare the next meeting with a statement to approve collectively and adopt as a working document. After an initial moment, the ice was broken and the participants found a natural common sensitivity towards the issues and how to deal with them. Many topics were discussed, the most significant points can be summarised as follows: • All ports confirm their commitment on tackling the environmental aspects, especially on reducing emissions, with specific solutions being designed in the different ports. • There is the need to find a workable and feasible compromise between the sizes of the vessel and the geographical and physical characteristics of the European ports, many of them are in fact significantly different from the ports of the rest of the world. • The need to improve the organisational aspect of the whole chain, in order to minimise the impact of congestions and of the negative effects on the urban mobility and the quality of life in each destination. • The need to assess in a scientific, fact-based, figure-based, manner the impacts and implications of the cruise industry on ports and their surrounding areas. • In doing so, there is the need to build a social, environmental and economic acceptability towards the industry from cities, regions, citizens.

APB installs a network of sensors to measure air pollution in its ports

30/09/2019

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has completed the installation of 25 air quality measuring stations in the five public ports it manages. These sensors measure the emission of gases and particulate matter into the atmosphere and noise generation in the ports of Palma, Alcudia, Mahon, Ibiza and La Savina in order to examine the environmental impact of their operations on the air. Called SmartSensPORT, this network is the outcome of an agreement between the APB and the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) under which the University-Enterprise Foundation has conducted the technical study for the installation of these measuring devices in the ports. The idea is to analyse the data obtained and provide an assessment of the correlation between port operations and environmental pollution in the area by temporarily monitoring noise levels and the concentration of particulate matter and gases. The information obtained from these sensors is sent to a control panel posted on www.portsdebalears.com which is updated every hour and displays the average values of the parameters in each of the ports collected by the 25 stations in these public ports. The air quality rating has been established based on the same criteria as those set by the Balearic Islands Regional Government for its reference stations across the region and is displayed to the user with a score of excellent, good, fair or poor. The ESPO (European Sea Ports Organisation) 2018 environmental report shows that air quality continues to be the main priority for European ports. The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands is aware of this and has been working hard since 2016 to establish the level of air quality in its ports and find out how port operations may affect it in line with the APB’s Environmental Policy. While it is Balearic Islands Regional Government that is responsible for assessing air quality and checking it remains below the threshold values laid down in Spanish Royal Decree 102/2011 (for which it has conventional precision stations), the APB’s aim in this project as described by Jorge Martín, its Head of Quality, Environment, Innovation and CSR, “is to analyse the data obtained by the sensors and provide an assessment of the qualitative correlation between port operations and environmental pollution based on objective data and scientific rigour”. Station locations The measuring stations have been put in place following the technical report drawn up in September 2016 by the UIB’s Smart Destination Working Group, although some changes have been made with respect to its proposal either due to physical changes in the scenarios in recent years or in order to speed up procedures in the process of installing the stations. After a first pilot implementation of eight measuring stations in the Port of Palma in 2017, in this new stage six measuring stations have also been set up in the Port of Ibiza, four in the ports of Mahon and Alcudia, and three in La Savina to make a total of 25 measuring points. In Palma, the new sensors have been placed on the West Breakwater esplanade, on top of the Portopí lighthouse, on the roof of Passenger Terminal no. 3 on Paraires Quay, in Can Barbarà, on the seafront promenade, in the Palma Royal Yacht Club building, on the roof of the APB’s headquarters and on the Commercial Quays. In the Port of Ibiza, the stations have been installed on the roof of Ibiza Town Hall in Dalt Vila, on the roof of a building in Santa Eulària Avenue, on the APB building’s roof, opposite the Botafoc Ibiza marina facilities, on the Botafoc Quays and on the Botafoc Breakwater. In the Port of Mahon, the four stations have been placed in d’es Muret Passage, on the Virgen del Toro Health Centre’s upper terrace, in the Naval Base and in sa Colàrsega. In the Port of Alcudia the sites chosen are the passenger terminal’s roof, on the beach opposite Alcudiamar, in Alcudia Town Council’s tourist information centre and in the Port of Alcudia’s Municipal Sports Centre (*). Finally, the Port of La Savina’s three stations are in front of the Fishermen’s Guild building, in Illes Pitiüses Square and on the breakwater of the port’s fishing dock. The measuring stations are sited between five metres (Can Barbarà in Palma and on the La Savina breakwater) and 45 metres (Dalt Vila in Ibiza) above sea level, although most of them are between fifteen and thirty metres high. Their location has been chosen by estimating the dispersion models of gas emissions from ships, the topographic profile of the port area, the density of the resident population according to municipal registers and the presence of other meteorological stations for measuring pollution which already exist and are not part of the APB. Population distribution in the areas of influence of port operations is the reason why some of the stations have been placed outside the ports’ service areas. As Jorge Martín explains, pollutant levels would have a higher impact if the population potentially affected is greater “since the main aim is to find out to what extent port operations impact the people closest to them”. The terrain and height of the buildings near the ports have also been taken into consideration as they may block pollutants or bounce back noise pollution. Another key factor is the prevailing atmospheric conditions in each of the ports as they are crucial in pollutant dispersion. Sensors and telecommunications The 25 measuring stations have a total of 250 sensors that report data every 10 minutes and measure the level of pollution and particulates in the atmosphere, noise levels and atmospheric variables such as temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure and wind strength and direction. Each of these stations is fitted with sensors which can measure CO, NO2, O3, PM10 (**) and SO2 in line with current regulations, the measurement strategies implemented by Balearic Islands institutions and the type of pollutants to be found on ships. Each station is connected by GPRS or 4G communications networks to the UIB’s Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing database centre. There the data generated by the SmartSensPORT network are compiled so as to track the monitored values and obtain results by applying prediction models for the dispersion and impact of the pollutants on the adjacent areas of the ports. The stations have alarms for each parameter which will be triggered when the regulatory thresholds or ceilings for excessive environmental pollution or noise are exceeded. The purpose of all of this is to produce traffic light reports and indicators which make it possible to decide on the actions and measures to be taken at any given time whether gradually or immediately. The implementation of the air quality and noise pollution monitoring system in the APB’s ports was awarded to the consortium formed by Kunak-Labaqua for nearly €445,000 and a two-year contract term. (*)These latter two stations are still pending installation permits from Alcudia Town Council. (**)PM10 particulate matter can be defined as solid or liquid particles of dust, ash, soot, metal particles, cement or pollen dispersed in the atmosphere with a diameter that varies between 2.5 and 10 microns (1 micron equates to one thousandth of a millimetre).

APB receives AENOR ISO 30301 certification for its document management system

25/09/2019

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has today received official recognition from Soledad Seisdedos, AENOR’s director on the Balearic Islands, that its document management system complies with standard UNE-ISO 30301:2011. The certificate was picked up by Juan Carlos Plaza, the APB’s director, and Jorge Martín, its Head of Quality, Environment, Innovation and CSR. The presentation ceremony took place at the APB’s facilities in the Port of Palma during a seminar explaining the ISO 14001:2015 document management standard to members of the Institutional Forum for Quality in the Public Sector on the Balearic Islands. The APB has been awarded this certification for its electronic management of the following processes: calling and holding board meetings customer billing managing guarantees and certifications procurement and documenting and supervising management systems. Earning this certification is confirmation of the APB’s steadfast and resolute commitment to digital transformation based on effective and efficient management of electronic documents and files and also constitutes a major milestone on the journey it embarked on in 2016.

THE PORT OF PALMA PUTS OUT TO TENDER THE FIRST MEDIUM-VOLTAGE COLD IRONING PROJECT FOR FERRIES IN SPAIN

22/09/2019

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has put out to tender the first cold ironing project for providing shoreside electrical power to ferries in the Port of Palma so as to cut the gas emissions and noise produced by the ships while at berth. The project has a tender budget of €2.1 million, 20% financed by the CEF European funding instrument, and a completion period of eleven months. It involves low- and medium-voltage power supply from the port to ships docking at the Paraires Quay in the Port of Palma. The facility will be able to hook a ferry up to the electricity grid with maximum power demand at 1,600 kW (medium voltage) and another fast ferry at 800 kW (low voltage), albeit not simultaneously. To provide this shore-to-ship power the project includes installing 275 metres of medium voltage underground lines, a transformer station, a frequency changer and an electrical substation in the Port of Palma’s Service Area. Shared adaptation In December 2018, Trasmediterránea and Baleària, the shipping lines which regularly operate at the Paraires Quay, were told by the APB that it was planning to bring this system into operation in the near future so that ships docking at the quay could be connected to the electricity grid. Since 2016, APB has been working in a consortium with other public ports on the OPS Master Plan. This project is funded by the European Union and aims to draw up a master plan to enable cold ironing technology to be used in Spanish public ports, including a pilot test in the Port of Palma to extend the electricity grid to the Paraires Quay and enable vessels adapted for this purpose to hook up to it. In fact, this connection at Paraires will be the first medium voltage connection to a vessel in Spain. Jorge Martín, the APB’s Head of Quality, Environment, Innovation and CSR, believes adaptation to cut gas emissions and noise generation in ports has to be a commitment shared by all port operators.“In this case,” he points out, “the APB is a facilitator” for shipping companies to reduce the pollution brought about by their operations in the port “which will benefit society as a whole”. Consequently, once shore-to-ship electricity connection comes on stream the ferries operating at the Paraires Quay will have to be adapted to cold ironing which will mean they no longer burn fossil fuels during their stay at the commercial quay closest to the city. Environmental transformation The APB gives a 50% rebate on the vessel fee (T1) to ships certifying they use liquefied natural gas (LNG) during their manoeuvring and stay in the port. Likewise, vessels coming under the cold ironing system will see this fee halved as well. The Port of Palma is regularly visited by the Hypatia de Alejandría and the Abel Matutes, two LNG-powered ships run by Baleària. In addition, the cruise liners AIDA Nova and Costa Esmeralda, which are to call in at Palma as from November, also use this type of energy during their stay in port, which is less polluting than fuel oil and its derivatives. The APB’s goal is to provide more shore-to-ship electrical connection points in new facilities where mixed cargo and passenger ships are expected to berth. Furthermore, the quays built in recent years in the public ports on the islands, i.e. the enlargement of the Poniente quays in the Port of Palma and the Botafoc quays in the Port of Ibiza, are already pre-wired for cold ironing cabling. In lockstep with these measures, the APB has told the Government of the Balearic Islands about its ports’ power needs so they can be built into energy planning for the period 2021/2026 (currently under preparation) with the aim of implementing electrification of its quays to supply ships.

The APB tenders the management of the moorings on the Poniente dock in the Port of Ibiza

18/09/2019

The Board of Directors of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has today approved the specifications for the public tender for management under an administrative concession of 90 boats between 6 and 60 metres in length on the Poniente dock in the Port of Ibiza. The public port land area included in the tender has a total water surface of 20,493 square metres with mooring lines coming to 176 metres on the Inner or Poniente Quay and 115 metres on the western side of the Es Martell quay in the Port of Ibiza. The annual lease charge to be bettered by bidders is €616,680.42 while the operations charge will be 4% of turnover. The concession’s term will be three years with the option of an extension of one more, so the total term may be up to four years. This area of the port will be affected in the near future by two measures planned by the APB: firstly the works to improve the Ibiza Yacht Club’s facilities, and secondly shifting the ships operating in the area on the route between the ports of Ibiza and La Savina to the Commercial quays.

The APB closes the 2018 financial statements with a profit of 23.3 million euros

09/09/2019

The financial statements of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) pertaining to financial year 2018 show a profit of 23.3 million euros, an increase of 13.95 % with regards to the year before when the profit exceeded 20.5 million euros. Furthermore, the turnover in 2018 was 78.5 million euros, exceeding the 2017 figures (with 73 million euros), maintaining zero long-term debt and the healthy financial situation of the entity. All ports except for the Port of Mahon showed an increase in this section with regards to 2017. Therefore, the Port of Palma reported a net business turnover of 46.2 million euros, the Port of Ibiza 20.9 million, Alcudia 5.2 million, La Savina 2.6 million and, finally, the Port of Mahon 3.5 million euros. The APB has just published its 2018 financial statements at www.portsdebalears.com along with the audit report by the General State Comptroller through the Regional Audit Body of the Balearic Islands. The financial statements were drawn up based on the port authority's accounting records ending 31 December 2018, which were produced pursuant to current legal accounting provisions and on the instructions issued by State Ports. They portray a true and fair image of the assets, the financial position and results, and also of the accuracy of the cash flows included in the cash flow statement. These financial statements were approved by the APB's Board of Directors on 28 June 2019. The full document is available at www.portsdebalears.com.

THE APB PUBLISHES ITS ANNUAL AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORT FOR 2018

14/08/2019

According to the data provided in the edition of the 2018 Annual Report and the 2018 Sustainability Report of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB), recently published and available on the corporate website (www.portsdebalears.com), both freight and passenger traffic continue to grow. Freight, corresponding to 16,206,801 tonnes, increased by 5 per cent on the previous year, while passenger traffic increased to 8,942,434, once again setting a new record. The APB has released the Annual Report and Sustainability Report for 2018. Both studies cover all of the port authority's activity from last year and can be consulted on the APB's website, serving as an indication of their commitment to transparent management. These two documents contain specific data on all projects undertaken in 2018 and in relation to the economic, social and environmental evolution of the general ports of interest managed by the APB. They also indicate the functioning of the organisation and its governing bodies, infrastructures built or under way, an overview of investments, port use data, regular shipping lines, port companies and services, as well as traffic statistics. Lastly, the reports reveal trends in relation to sustainability and development of infrastructure, as well as the updates and improvements of information systems and access to the electronic administration, as well as the consolidation of planned measures in the field of corporate social responsibility. The reports are available at www.portsdebalears.com

TOTAL TRAFFICKING OF GOODS IN THE PORTS OF THE BALEARIC ISLANDS INCREASES 3 PER CENT IN THE FIRST SIXTH MONTHS OF 2019

09/08/2019

The total trafficking of goods in the ports of general interest in the Balearic Islands has increased 3 per cent in the first half of 2019, in relation to the same period last year, with more than 8.9 million tonnes registered. As far as human trafficking is concerned, the number of movements increased 5 per cent, exceeding 3.5 million. According to the statistics of the month of June published in www.portsdebalears.com, Mahon's port registered the greatest increase of 15%, reaching 365,542 tonnes. It is followed by Ibiza (6% and 1,646,163 t), Palma (5% and 5,240,558 t), la Savina (-6% and 141,292 t) and Alcudia (-8% and 929,691 t). For general goods, that is to say, consumer products, the total increase was 6% with 6,841,700 tonnes. Mahon also leads with the growth of this first half-year being 15 per cent and 254,810 tonnes, followed by Palma (7% and 4,584,253 t), Ibiza (7% and 1,503,954 t), Alcudia (-8% and 367,198 t) and la Savina (-8% and 131,503 t). The widespread decrease in trafficking of bulk liquids (mainly fuels) stands out, with a drop of 12 per cent in relation to the first half of 2018. In this section only the port of Ibiza has seen a rise in trafficking with an increase of 2 per cent, reaching almost 92,000 tonnes. Meanwhile trafficking of bulk solids (basically cement and other construction materials) has generally remained stable but with large differences between ports. It increased 165 per cent in Mahon with 24,676 tonnes, in Palma (53% and 140,401 t) and in la Savina (28% and 9,789 t), whilst it has fallen in Ibiza (-19% and 50,337 t) and in Alcudia (-9% and 532,966 t), above all due to a decrease in coal unloading. Regular people trafficking has grown The number of passengers increased 5 per cent from January to June 2019 in relation to the same period last year, exceeding 3.5 million passengers. The number of scheduled passengers also increased 5 per cent, with more than 2.5 million so for this year (2.3 million if we do not count freight car drivers). All of the ports increased in this section, with the exception of la Savina’s port (-2% and 784.481 people). Mahon registered the greatest increase (61% and 41,588 people), followed by Alcudia (15% and 214,583 people). - where scheduled open movement with the South of France, Palma (14% and 477,346 people) and Ibiza (4% and 1,050,321 people) is reflected. The number of cruise ship passengers also grew (4%) with a total of a million passengers up until now in all general interest ports in the Balearic Islands, but with very erratic behaviours: sharp falls in Mahon’s port (-66% and 12,232 people) and Alcudia (-50% and 673 people) and rises in Ibiza (23% and 116,664 people) and Palma (5% and 872,893 people). In all of the ports belonging to the port authority of the Balearic Islands there was also an increase in the number of boats by 13 per cent with 22,882 layovers and gross tonnage saw an increase of 4 per cent with 112 million GT in the first sixth months of 2019.