Noticias APB | Ports de Balears

PRIZEWINNERS ARE SELECTED FOR THE APB's 9th PAINTING AND PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

04/12/2018

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 from Wednesday 5 December. The exhibition will be on here until 3 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 8 February to 2 March), and in Mahon, at the Caixabank exhibition hall (from 11 to 23 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 Madrid, among others. First prize in the Watercolour category went to Pablo Rubén López from Madrid for his work Alcúdia. The winner of the Other Painting Techniques was Ana del Valle Ojeda, an artist from Alcúdia, for her pieceAlcúdia Junio 2018. Last but not least, the first prize for Photography this year was awarded to Eva Abril from Menorca for her work Serenor. 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.

LARGEST TRAVEL LIFT IN EUROPE UNVEILED AT STP FACILITIES AT THE PORT OF PALMA

03/12/2018

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) and Servicios Técnicos Portuarios (STP) today presented the new 1,000-ton travel lift, the largest boat hoist in Europe measuring 26 metres long, 12.5 metres wide and 25 metres tall, making the Port of Palma the European benchmark in the vessel repair and maintenance sector. At the ceremony held at midday today in the STP facilities at the Port of Palma, president of the APB, Joan Gual de Torrella, highlighted that the repair and maintenance of boats is a strategic activity for the port authority, "an investment we intend to roll out at the ports of Alcudia and Mahon". Along the same lines, the Minister of Labour, Trade and Industry of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Lago Negueruela, said that "today is a day to feel proud, because thanks to the public-private cooperation, the Balearic industrial sector is growing and the maritime sector is establishing itself as an emerging sector on the Islands". "This industry brings 250 million euros to the Islands –said the Chief Executive of STP, José Maria Campuzano, during his speech– and successfully reduces seasonality, not only in the maritime business but also in the tourism sector". Campuzano also pointed out that it is estimated that 800 direct jobs, 1500 indirect jobs and 600 related jobs are created in his facilities at the Port of Palma, without taking into account the crew on board. In other words, 6 indirect jobs are created for every direct job. In this sense, the president of the APB, Joan Gual de Torrella, said that thanks to the Dual Vocational Training offered by the Government of the Balearic Islands and private collaboration, local skilled labour in the maritime sector may see a significant increase. The largest in Europe The new travel lift, capable of hoisting and beaching boats weighing up to 1,000 tons, also allows works on larger vessels to be carried out simultaneously and speeds up manoeuvre times. On top of this, being able to beach vessels that until now had to undergo refits in the water and subsequent completion on dry docks, frees up space along the mooring line for more boats. Another major advantage is that its height means that large sailing boats can be hoisted without any need to dismantle their stays or backstays. The acquisition of the travel lift was one of the conditions to extend the administrative concession that the APB approved in March 2017 for STP. The modification consisted of the inclusion of a land maritime public domain surface area of 24,422 m2 in the already existing license, 14,743 m2 of which are the land surface area and 9,679 m2 the water surface area, and the extension of the initial term of the license by 5.4 years. By extending the term, the investment commitment by the concessionaire increases to 6.4 million euros.

THE PORT OF IBIZA STARTS THE UPGRADING WORKS ON THE RIBERA DOCK

23/11/2018

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has commenced the upgrading works on the Ribera dock at the port of Ibiza after today signing the variation order with the company TECOPSA (Tecnología, Construcción y Obras Públicas S.A.), the company awarded the contract to carry out the renovation works on this stretch of the promenade. This project, with an allocated budget of 1,039,424.21 euros and a completion period of 6 months, consists of laying down a new paved surface on the stretch between the statue of the Fisherman and Formentera harbour station, which will be similar to that used on the Marina promenade, the works on which were completed in May 2015. The work includes the creation of pedestrian and landscaped areas, the continuation of the bicycle lane and the installation of new lighting. The improvement comes in response to the APB's port-city objective of complementing the port requirements of the dock used for goods and passenger traffic to La Savina with citizens' enjoyment of the port environment. Continuation of the promenade This work, undertaken by the APB, will be complemented by the works to build storm tankswhich are being carried out by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition to improve the channelling of rainwater in Ibiza. Once the tanks are buried, the Ministry will adapt the surface to ensure the continuity of the aesthetic finish of the paved surface. This project to upgrade the Ribera dock does not include the demolition of the current Formentera harbour station, which will remain in place until the future harbour station designed in the current fishing area comes into service.

THE APB PUBLISHES ON ITS WEBSITE THE REAL-TIME AIR QUALITY LEVEL AT THE PORT OF PALMA

12/11/2018

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) launches a new tool that will allow citizens to find out the air quality at the Port of Palma in real time. This is nothing short of a pioneering project, as the Port of Palma is the first that has such an extensive monitoring network –with 113 sensors– with which to measure air quality, offering up-to-date information every hour. The data published on the portal www.portsdebalears.com, in the “air quality section”, forms part of the commitments the APB has made in its Corporate Social Responsibility and Transparency policy and to the community to which it provides the service. The APB has invested 87,000 euros in launching this project –acquisition, installation and maintenance of equipment– and it has collaborated with the Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB) in developing the tool. The collaboration started two years ago in July 2016 when the UIB took charge of defining the location and characteristics of the stations. In July 2017, the SmartSensPort-Palma pilot project was launched at the Port of Palma, when a total of seven monitoring stations were obtained to measure the air quality. Each of these seven stations has nano-sensors that measure CO (carbon monoxide), NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), O3 (ozone), PM10 (solid or liquid dust particles) and SO2 (sulphur dioxide). Furthermore, there is a total of 113 sensors at the Port of Palma that report data every ten minutes. This control panel updates itself eight times a day and collects the average hourly value of the seven stations, following the same criteria established by the Government of the Balearic Islands for stations of reference in the Autonomous Community. Last July, after several months of collecting and analysing data by a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the UIB, the first conclusions of the SmartSensPort-Palma project were published. These determined that no clear correlation exists between all the activities undertaken at the port and the levels of contamination detected. This gave rise to the commitment of the APB to continue monitoring the air at the Port of Palma and to make the data public, while also extending the tool to the rest of the Balearic ports of general interest that it manages. Installation of the same nano-sensors at the ports of Alcudia, Ibiza, la Savina and Mahon is planned in 2019. This project complies with the Environmental Policy of the APB, which was approved by the body in November 2016.

THE LLEBEIG LIGHTHOUSE ON SA DRAGONERA RENOVATES ITS LANTERN

26/10/2018

After functioning for almost half a century, the lantern of the Llebeig Lighthouse has been replaced by a new one. The renovation of this lantern has entailed an investment of 100,000 euros by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB), which includes its construction and delivery. The company, Mediterráneo Señales Marítimas, was entrusted with these tasks. The lantern arrived at the Port of Palma and was taken, using special transport and coordination with the Civil Guard, to Andritxol, Sant Elm. Subsequently, it was taken from Sant Elm on the Island of Mallorca by helicopter. The stainless steel and glass structure was then put into position, where the operators had previously protected the lens with scaffolding. While the helicopter went to collect the dome, the operators fixed the piece to the structure of the lighthouse. The dome was then positioned and the operators took charge of connecting the lantern. Finally, the dome was fixed into place. The APB painted the new lantern white to pay homage to the original one. The old lantern dates back to 1969. It has been dismantled and will soon be taken to the Permanent Maritime Signalling Exhibition at the Porto Pí, where it will be restored and put on show for visitors. The light of the Llebeig Lighthouse will be substituted by a distress beacon, offering support to sailors, for however long the lantern replacement work lasts.

THE PORT AUTHORITY OF THE BALEARIC ISLANDS PUTS OUT TO TENDER THE DEMOLITION WORK OF THE OLD NAVY COMMISSARY AT THE PORT OF PALMA SO THAT THE OCEANOGRAPHIC CENTRE OF THE BALEARIC ISLANDS CAN BUILD ITS NEW HEADQUARTERS

26/10/2018

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has put out to tender a contract to demolish the old navy commissary located at the Old Harbour of the Port of Palma so that the Oceanographic Centre of the Balearic Islands (COB) can build its new headquarters. The tender budget for said demolition work at the Port of Palma is 359,364.62 euros and the completion period is four months. The deadline to submit tenders is 19 December 2018. Those interested can submit their tenders via the APB's Port for Electronic Tenders. Until recently, the space was used as a warehouse and car park for APB vehicles. However, the nine buildings that make up the old commissary are now no longer used. Once the buildings have been knocked down, the APB will transfer the space over to the COB so it can build its new headquarters, as stipulated under the agreement formalised last May regarding the creation of an innovative marine science and technology hub at the Old Harbour of Palma. Subsequently, and in compliance with said agreement, the APB will transfer another plot to the Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB). Both headquarters will therefore be located at the Old Harbour of Palma, an area which will be dedicated to port and marine activities driven by the Marine Hub project. Marine Hub The aim of the Marine Hub project is to open up the Port of Palma to science and citizens, providing a port space to oceanographic and marine research. The APB will hand over this space of the Old Harbour of Palma to the headquarters of the SOGIB and the COB, driving the sector of marine R&ampD&ampI at the Port of Palma. This commitment is in line with the agreement made by the APB's Board of Directors to dedicate the Old Harbour of the Port of Palma to port and marine activities. http://www.portsdebalears.com/es/noticia/firmado-el-protocolo-para-la-creación-de-un-polo-marino-de-innovación-en-ciencia-y

THE PORT AUTHORITY OF THE BALEARIC ISLANDS TO BEGIN IMPROVEMENT WORKS AT LA SAVINA PORT IN NOVEMBER

23/10/2018

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) is set to begin improvement works in November that cover the conditioning of roads and pedestrian access areas at la Savina Port. The aim of this project is to boost the port's appeal as a place to stay, equipping the area with points of interest, and with a focus on upgrading pedestrian and bike routes. The port's current status as a place of "transit" will be abolished by incorporating various points of interest at the port with a view to improving the reception and presence of tourists and locals alike at la Savina and Formentera Port. The president of the APB, Joan Gual de Torrella, highlighted that “the works will be carried out in two phases to avoid interrupting the 2019 tourist season. The first phase will cover the remodelling of the main accessroutes to the docks and to the whole sea front of la Savina, where there is a concentration of hotels, businesses, restaurants and other activities. The second phase, expected to begin in November 2019, will complete the works to improve pedestrian access ways and areas up to the fishermen's zone. UTE Hermanos Parrot-Asfaltómeros was awarded the contract with a budget of €5,432,915. Works are expected to last for ten months. Lastly, progress on the drafting of APB's Strategic Plan for the Navigation and Port Council of la Savina was presented in today's meeting. It is also worth recalling that the aim of this Strategic Plan is to define the forward-thinking strategies to enhance the quality and efficiency of services provided at the ports.

The Fundación Turismo Palma 365 and the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands meet the demand for information of cruise passengers that dock at the city's port

22/10/2018

This morning, Joana Maria Adrover, Councillor of Tourism, Business and Employment, and Joan Gual de Torrella, President of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands, revealed the new tourism information office, located at Harbour Station number 2 at the Port of Palma. The project is the result of a collaboration between both institutions. The APB has formed a part of the Foundation's board since 2012. The president of the Port Authority stressed that in recent years the APB has undertaken different collaboration projects with the Foundation and that this year the focus has been on creating this new tourism information office. The office, budgeted at 73,000 euros, aims to meet the needs of tourists that dock at the Port of Palma and that seek information of interest. The works company, Mejora, Servicios y Proyectos Integrales SA (MESPISA), was awarded the contract. Furthermore, Gual de Torrella said that the APB, since 2012, has given the Foundation over 16,000 euros in cash and has undertaken actions totalling over 280,000 euros at the Port of Palma, such as installing pergolas to shade the jetty walkway and covering fees for the occupation and use of Palma's wifi network at the Seafront Promenade, among others. As the councillor explained, this initiative aims to provide more personalised and up-to-date information to cruise ship tourists, as well as to contribute to redistributing tourism flows from the city. Furthermore, the office will also sell tourist activities taking place in Palma and in other tourist destinations in Mallorca. In this respect, Adrover said: "we are progressing in improving management, modernising the welcome services for tourist and citizens and strengthening the aim of the Foundation, which is geared towards fostering the projection and external image of the city that is a year-round destination, having a different, competitive and high-quality urban offering." The office will be open according to the scheduling of ships arriving at the Port of Palma, which is drawn up by the APB. This month, it will give tourism information services to passenger of around 77 cruise ships, including, for example, Norwegian Epic and AIDA Stella, which have a capacity of 5,500 passengers. Furthermore, Adrover said that the management concession of the tourism offices was awarded last August to the company Eulen S.A. Palma currently has three tourism offices located at Palma beach, Parc de ses Estacions and at Parc de la Mar.

THE PORT AUTHORITY OF THE BALEARIC ISLANDS AWARDS INCENTIVES TO SIX COMPANIES FOR THEIR GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES IN 2018

18/10/2018

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has awarded a total of €264,826 in incentives to six companies in recognition of their good environmental practices in 2018. In compliance with its environmental policy, the APB has rewarded efforts by companies operating at the general ports of interest that improve their port activity in a bid to enhance environmental protection. The six companies awarded were Alcudiamar, Port of Alcudia, with a total of €121,930 Compañía Logística Hidrocarburos (CLH) with €18,020 at the Port of Palma, €452 at the Port of Ibiza and €5,460 at the Port of Mahon. Others included the companies Serveis Marítims Port Eivissa, which manages Marina Ibiza, with €53,511 at the Ibizan port and Tanit Ibiza, which manages Varadero Ibiza, with €3,302 for its concession at the Port of Ibiza and Marina Palma Cuarentena with €5,720 for the concession it manages at the Port of Palma. And lastly, the company Servicios Técnicos Portuarios (STP) with €46,014 and the company INIC Port Mirall de Mar de Mallorca, which manages the Port of Mallorca, with €10,413, both located at the Port of Palma. Environmental Policy The Law on State Ports and the Merchant Navy stipulates that holders of a concession or authorisation that establishes good environmental practices in its management will be awarded a 15% incentive. Therefore, incentives will be awarded for fishing activities and ship repair, conversion or dismantling projects that have an environmental agreement with the port authority and which have a management system in place that has been certified by National Accreditation Entity (ENAC). The APB's Board of Directors approved the public body's Environmental Policy in 2016 as part of an environmental management system certified by AENOR with the ISO 14001:2015 seal. This environmental commitment covers all activities carried out at the five general ports of interest on the Balearic Islands (Alcudia, Palma, Mahon, Ibiza and la Savina), and is bolstered by ongoing improvements to enhance environmental protection on a day-to-day basis within the scope of port activity. All information contained in the Sustainability Report can be consulted on the APB website. For more information on the incentives awarded to companies in 2017 in recognition of their good environmental practices, see page 109.

The APB assures Alcudiamar users that they can continue to use Alcudia port facilities until 2030

10/10/2018

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has guaranteed moorers at Alcudiamar marina that they can continue to use these facilities in the port of general interest of Alcudia until 2030, in line with the new conditions of the extension of the concession period that begins today. Representatives of the APB yesterday attended a meeting called by Alcudiamar to explain the situation of the concession once the initial term, which began in 1988, ends. Today marks the first day of the 12-year extension of the concession for Alcudiamar. As a result of this extension, Alcudiamar must pay the APB a new annual fee of 2.7 million euros and invest nearly 22 million euros in infrastructure over the next 12 years. APB experts yesterday explained to the moorers that the APB is going to approve new maximum prices to cover this fee update and the investment to be made. These new prices will be of a transitional nature until they are definitively approved, given that at the beginning the relevant part of the investment will not be passed on to users until the works are recognised. The interested parties received direct information on what the pricing system will look like. Moreover, Alcudiamar has contributed 600,000 euros to the State Port Connectivity Fund by means of which Spanish ports of general interest fund road connection projects outside their service area, required in order to provide their facilities with proper accessibility and to enhance their competitiveness. Alcudiamar submitted the application to extend its concession period in 2014. The APB's Board of Directors approved the extension of the marina's concession in April 2016, following a binding report by State Ports.

ALCUDIAMAR, COLONIA SANT PERE YACHT CLUB AND FORNELLS YACHT CLUB RECEIVE CERTIFICATIONS FROM AENOR FOR THEIR MANAGEMENT

05/10/2018

The certifying organisation AENOR has awarded six certifications of Quality, Environmental Management and Safety and Health at Work to the Alcudiamar yacht facilities, Colonia Sant Pere Yacht Club and Fornells Yacht Club at the headquarters of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) of the port of Palma this afternoon, which certify that they meet the requirements of internationally recognised standards, reflecting best practices. The event was attended by the director general of AENOR, Rafael García Meiro and the director of the organisation in the Balearic Islands, Soledad Seisdedos, as well as the president of the APB, Joan Gual de Torrella, who acted as host. García Meiro said that "quality is an essential element in the competitive tourism sector and that distinguishes it from other destinations. The Balearic Islands' yacht clubs and facilities have found solid allies in international standards to improve their competitiveness, sustainability and safety at work”. For his part, Gual de Torrella highlighted the commitment of the APB in implementing a model of increasingly sustainable public management, with the "necessary and evident” help and collaboration of the private sector, in the protection and conservation of the environment in our ports. The nautical sector and the environment The three organisations have received the Environmental Management System's ISO 14001 certificate from the AENOR general director. Alcudiamar also received the ISO 9001 Quality Management System certificate and the OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management certification. Also, the Colonia de Sant Pere Yacht Club were honoured with the ISO 9001 seal. The Alcudiamar general director, Bartomeu Bestard, received the certifications of this nautical facility, which also boasts the tourist quality certificate and is located in the port of general interest of Alcudia, managed by the APB. On behalf of the Colonia Sant Pere Yacht Club, located north-east of the island of Mallorca, its president Cristina Terrassa received the certification, while Joan Camps, president of the Fornells Yacht Club, on the island of Menorca, received his AENOR certificate of Environmental Management.

WORK PROGRESSES TO BUILD THE "PORT FORWARD" PROJECT FOR THE FIVE PORTS OF GENERAL INTEREST OF THE PORT AUTHORITY OF THE BALEARIC ISLANDS

05/10/2018

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) is part of a consortium subsidised by the European Commission to launch the "Port Forward" project - within the "Port of the Future" initiative - and today the port of Palma has received visits from some of the consortium members to learn more about the operation and management of new technologies in the APB. This is the second meeting to take place in order to initialize this project to improve sustainable development in ports of general interest (Palma, Alcudia, Ibiza, la Savina and Mahon) managed by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB). The first meeting took place in Magdeburg (Germany) last July for the project launch. "Port Forward" brings together renowned technology centres and other ports such as Vigo, and the ports of Livorno, Naples, Kristiansand and Magdemburg. This project has a budget of six million euros and is 100% funded by the European Commission. In the meeting taking place today and tomorrow we will be visited by Manuel Baeza from Transmediterránea, Fátima Vellisco and José Luis Burón from Acciona, Sergio Martínez and Jordi Ricart representing Leitat, Vincent Bracke and Ben Bellekens representing Imec, and Jorge Martín, Head of Quality, Environment and Innovation at the APB. All attendees visited the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) port infrastructure in the port of Palma with Javier Segovia, head of Information Systems of the APB, as well as the port’s control centre and monitoring with Álvaro Rodríguez, responsible for Port Operations of the APB. They also met with Antoni Ginard, Head of Infrastructures of the APB, to discuss systems and procedures of computer-aided maintenance (CMMS). After the presentations, current systems deployed for management and efficiency were discussed. Finally, the members of the consortium met with several companies that can provide technological solutions that add value to the service provided by the APB. About the "Port Forward" project This project will make it possible to improve sustainable development and the management of resources more efficiently. In this sense, the port of the future must meet a series of requirements such as that of being a smart and interconnected port. For the implementation of these works, the APB relies on projects that have been developing for several years such as air quality monitoring, the creation of meteorological warnings with the SAMOA platform, the AIS system, energy efficiency and heat maps, among others.