News APB | Ports de Balears

The new boarding walkways come into operation at the Port of Ibiza’s Botafoc Quays

06/11/2013

On Friday 8th November, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) will begin to use the new boarding walkways at the Botafoc Quays which aim to provide passengers and shipping companies with improved services, security and amenities at the Port of Ibiza. This constitutes yet another service at the port’s new facilities which began to cater for regular goods and passenger traffic on 1st July. In parallel, the temporary passenger terminal, which was built to provide an interim service until the permanent facility comes into operation, began to operate at the end of October. As of next Friday, two permanent walkways and four mobile gangways will be available for ferry passengers boarding and disembarking at the 1500 square-metre temporary passenger terminal, which will be used by the Acciona-Trasmediterránea y Baleària ferry operators. The tender for these walkways was €7.5 million. However, the work is not totally finished as a section of one of the permanent walkways is still to be completed and a fifth mobile gangway still to be installed on the Ribera del Botafoc Quay. Port reorganisation On 1st July, the APB moved commercial traffic to the new Botafoc Quays, thus freeing up the Levante Dock. This new area has facilities for embarking and pre-embarking goods and vehicles, as well as car parks for cars, coaches, taxis and buses.

Alberto Pons visits the Port of Maó

24/10/2013

Today, the APB Chairman, Alberto Pons, visited the Port of Maó on what was his first official visit since he took up the position. The aim of the visit was to get to know the Minorcan authorities personally, tackle the most conflictive issues facing the port community and try to find solutions to them. The first stop-off point was a courtesy visit to the port facilities to meet the Port of Maó’s staff. Pons then boarded a boat to visit the port area by sea. This was followed by a series of institutional visits to the island’s authorities, including meetings with the President of the Minorca Island Council, Santiago Tadeo, the Spanish Central Government representative in Minorca, Javier López-Cerón, the Mayor of Maó, Águeda Reynés, and the Mayor of Es Castell, Lluís Camps. In the afternoon, Pons chaired several meetings with members of the port community to get their impressions about the issues that affect the port, and then gave a speech at the Maó Ateneo. The APB Chairman revealed that the Port of Maó is a “priority” and highlighted its “potential” and his confidence in its future.

Seven cruise ships to coincide at the Port of Palma next Saturday

17/10/2013

On Saturday 19th October, seven cruise ships are scheduled to call at the Port of Palma and will coincide for several hours at the Majorcan capital’s facilities. The vessels are the AIDAvita, Thomson Dream, Queen Victoria, Albatros, L’Austral, Norwegian Epic and Alexander von Humboldt II, which means that around thirteen thousand people will be using the Port of Palma´s facilities on the same day. This will equal the record of seven simultaneous calls at the Port of Palma set on 10th October 2008, although on this occasion the total number of passengers was lower at 8,500. For further details about these calls, go to www.portsdebalears.com.

The APB Chairman meets the Balearic Island Yacht Club Association

17/10/2013

This morning, the Chairman of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB), Alberto Pons, welcomed a delegation from the Balearic Island Yacht Club Association, in what was their first meeting since Pons’ appointment as head of the public body. The Association’s Chairman, Miguel Suñer, representatives of its Board of Directors, and other club members, informed the APB Chairman about the main concerns of the islands´ yacht clubs. Alberto Pons listened to the Association’s requests and promised to deal individually with the specific problems faced by each of the yacht clubs located on public port land managed by the APB.

Pons and Reynés meet in Palma to analyse the latest developments at the Port of Maó, with special emphasis on the dredging project

15/10/2013

This morning, the Chairman of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB), Alberto Pons, met the Mayor of Maó, Águeda Reynés, in Palma, to discuss the latest developments affecting the Port of Maó and study the actions to be taken over the port’s dredging project, after the Environmental Public Prosecutor’s Office last week filed the complaint made by the GOB Ecology group which had alleged that the project was a criminal offence. Pons informed Reynés that the APB has already contacted the Spanish Oceanography Institute (IEO) about studying the potential impact on the ecosystem of the discharge of mud from the port, as the Environmental Public Prosecutor’s Office suggested in its report. In parallel, the APB is restarting the dredging procedures with a new campaign to collect samples and update permits, after the six-month temporary suspension ordered by the Prosecutor’s Office as a result of the GOB’s formal complaint. Both the APB and the Maó City Council are highly sensitised to the issues surrounding the dredging project, including the heritage aspect. Along these lines, the meeting participants agreed to pay special attention to the archaeological study and the procedure to be followed should any site of interest be found at the bottom of the Maó waters. Both institutions committed to following any recommendations made by the Minorcan Island Council, which is responsible for heritage. The meeting was also attended by the recently appointed APB Director, Juan Carlos Plaza the Maó Council’s Deputy Mayor of Institutional Relations, Simón Gornés, and the Deputy Mayor of General Services and the Port, Salvador Botella. During this first meeting after the appointment of Alberto Pons as the APB Chairman other port issues were briefly dealt with and the commitment to discuss them in greater depth on another occasion was made.

Juan Carlos Plaza appointed as the new Director of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands by the Board of Directors

14/10/2013

This afternoon, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands’ Board of Directors appointed Juan Carlos Plaza Plaza as the new Director of the body that manages the public-interest ports in the Balearic Islands. The appointment was proposed by the APB Chairman, Alberto Pons. Juan Carlos Plaza was born 51 years ago in Ciudad Real and was brought up in Alicante. He studied at the University of Valencia where he obtained a degree in Civil Engineering. His entire professional career has been carved out in the Balearic Islands where he has lived since 1988. Plaza will be stepping down as Head of the Coastal Management Authority in the Balearic Islands to take on his new position as the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands’ Director. Juan Carlos Plaza is a civil servant by profession who has served in the Balearic Islands’ Directorate-General of Ports, and has occupied the position of Head of Projects and Works since 2003. He was the Managing Director of the public-sector body Ports IB from 2010-2011. Again in the public sector, he was also the Head of the Building Service at the Water Resource Directorate-General. He has considerable experience in port works and other civil engineering projects and has also worked in the private sector in companies such as Cubiertas y MZOV (currently Acciona) where he was responsible for numerous projects between 1989 and 1997. Juan Carlos Plaza takes over from Jorge Nasarre, the outgoing APB Director.

The Port of Palma extends its berthing line to attract the world’s largest cruise ships

12/10/2013

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands has tendered the work to extend the berthing line at the Port of Palma so it can serve as a home port for the world’s largest cruise vessels. The project has based its calculations on the Oasis of the Seas, currently considered to be the longest cruise ship in the world at 361 metres long which has a capacity of 6,300 passengers and 2,400 crew. The building work involves constructing three dolphins to extend the north berthing face of the platform adjoining the East Breakwater. The project will add 160 metres to the current berthing line to provide a maximum length of 445 metres on the north face. In addition, this extension will enable a vessel up to 130 metres long to berth on the south face. The work consists of three reinforced concrete caissons with a 50 metre gap between them. These caissons will each have two bollards weighing two hundred tonnes and four cell-type fenders to ensure safe berthing. The tender for the work has been put out at €5.6 million with a lead time of 6 months. The project does not have any major environmental impact.

Alberto Pons Fernández takes up the post of Chairman of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands

09/10/2013

The Spanish Official Gazette today published the Spanish Development Ministry Order announcing the appointment of Alberto Pons Fernández as the new Chairman of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands to replace the outgoing Chairman, José Mª Urrutia Mera. Alberto Pons, who was born in 1968, has considerable experience in the management of yacht clubs and marinas. Before taking on this position, he was the Director of the Punta Portals Marina in the town of Calvia in Majorca. His previous position was as Managing Director of the Royal Palma Yacht Club, where he organised major events such as the Copa del Rey sailing competition, and the Trofeo Princesa Sofía sailing race. He also coordinated Palma’s bid to host the 2007 America’s Cup.

Antonio López-Istúriz: “Shipping in Europe will increase 50% by 2030”

04/10/2013

Antonio López-Istúriz, the Secretary-General of the European People’s Party and Euro MP for the Balearic Islands, today gave the closing speech at the port law conference organised by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) at the Port of Palma in conjunction with the International Port Law Association, Acciona and the State-owned Ports Body. López-Istúriz highlighted the impact of ports in Europe and predicted a 50% increase in European goods shipping by 2030. He also revealed that the European Commission is keeping a close eye on the industry to “attract investment” aimed at developing European ports. “Europe needs ports and ports need Europe,” were the words of the Euro MP, who pointed out that the European Commission’s main challenges are to boost the development of European ports, promote short-sea shipping to free-up roads, and improve connections to land transport networks. To achieve this, according to López-Istúriz, action must involve using the future transport corridors, simplifying administrative procedures in ports by implementing e-management, monitoring public procurement mechanisms, promoting sustainable management and investing in innovation and human resources. Promotion and dialogue Immediately afterwards, Jorge Nasarre, the APB’s Director, summarised the two-day conference whose content centred on issues such as administrative concessions in ports, the analysis of TSJIB jurisprudence in relation to the APB, port authorities’ economic regulations and the urban development of State-owned ports’ service areas. Nasarre stressed the APB initiative was a way to promote and encourage transparent, open dialogue between government and private organisations in order to boost development in public-interest ports. The conference was attended by a large audience, the majority of whom were port facility managers from across Spain.

The APB organises port law conference for port facility managers at the Port of Palma

03/10/2013

The first day of a two-day conference on port law organised by the APB was held today at the Port of Palma. The conference was attended by numerous port facility managers from around Spain. After today’s speeches on administrative concessions in ports, an analysis of TSJIB jurisprudence in relation to the APB and port authorities’ economic regulations, amongst other subjects, the conference’s participants visited the maritime signalling exhibition at the Portopí lighthouse. The International Port Law Association, Acciona and the State-owned Ports Body all sponsored and took part in the conference. The conference programme is attached for further information

The Balearic Islands’ ports promote their activities at the Hamburg cruise convention under the umbrella of the State-owned Ports Body

27/09/2013

This week, the APB took part in the Seatrade Cruise Convention, which was held in the German city of Hamburg, as part of the Spanish delegation headed by the State-owned Ports Body. The Balearic Islands’ delegation, made up of APB staff and representatives of the islands’ shipping agents, met up with the industry’s main shipping companies to promote the Balearic Islands as a tourist destination for the cruise market and to work on the call schedules for the forthcoming seasons. A total of 704 calls are scheduled at the APB’s public interest ports for 2014: 479 at the Port of Palma, 128 at the Port of Ibiza, 83 at Mahon, 12 at the Port of La Savina and 2 at the Port of Alcudia.

The Official State Gazette publishes the APB’s 2012 Financial Statements which show profits of €14.4 million

17/09/2013

Yesterday, the Spanish Official Gazette published the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands’ 2012 Financial Statements, which showed profits of €14.4 million and a turnover of €59.5 million. These statements were audited by the State Comptroller’s Office with no reservations. Looking to the future, the APB’s investment plan includes a budget of €33.7 million for 2014. Priorities at the Port of Palma include the extension of the berthing line at the West Breakwater to cater for large cruise vessels, and redefining the surface layout of the Poniente Quays to improve the services offered to customers. Investment priorities at the Port of Ibiza centre on redesigning the port seafront, and developing and improving the commercial quays. Finally, investment at the Port of Mahon has been assigned to the dredging work, building the Cós Nou road, and constructing a dolphin for cruise vessels to berth at on the Passenger Quay. The 2014 investment plan took into account the reduction in port charges announced by the APB a few months ago which aimed to cut costs in the logistics chain and in turn encourage a decrease in the prices of basic consumer goods as a result of lower transport costs. Accordingly, the forecast budget for 2014 reflects a 30% reduction in passenger charges and an additional 5% in the goods charge (this charge was put down 5% in July 2012) which aim to boost the Balearic Islands’ economy. The 2014 budget also includes the lower charges announced by the Spanish Development Minister, Ana Pastor, totalling 5% of the basic amounts of the main port use charges and approximately 8.5% of the occupancy charge.