Ports de Balears

L´APB aixeca la barrera del passeig de la Marina del port d´Eivissa i permet l´aparcament de vehicles fins al març

rjaume — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 12:02:16 +0000

The APB removes the barrier on Paseo de la Marina in the port of Ibiza and allows vehicles to park until March

Eivissa

rjaume Tue, 28/11/2023 - 20:19

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) has decided to lift the access barrier to the Paseo de la Marina in the port of Ibiza to allow road traffic to pass through from 1st December until 1st March. This action is intended to facilitate mobility and parking in the area. Ibiza City Council has taken this initiative at the request of local residents and shopkeepers.

Parking on the Paseo de la Marina will be allowed 24 hours a day, although from eight in the morning until ten at night it will be limited to a maximum of two hours in order to facilitate the rotation of vehicles. Drivers will be required to write down the time of parking on a piece of paper and display it clearly on their dashboard. The spaces set aside for loading and unloading will be preserved to facilitate commercial activity in the area.

More parking zones

An additional parking zone will also be set up over the same period of time on Avenida de Santa Eulària, next to the Ribera Poniente quay, and in front of the Formentera Maritime Station and the Ibiza Sailing Club, as had been established in previous years. However, this car park will not have a parking time limit.

These two new zones will make parking more convenient for the city's residents and offer alternatives for parking in the city during the winter months.

Acord per reorganitzar les dates de les obres del passeig Marítim de Palma per atendre les peticions de veïns i empresaris

rjaume — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 13:28:04 +0000

Agreement reached to reorganise construction work dates on Palma's seafront promenade to meet residents' and business owners' demands

Palma

rjaume Fri, 24/11/2023 - 09:18

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) and Palma City Council have reached an agreement with local groups who have been affected by Palma's promenade remodelling works to reschedule construction work dates to fall in line with residents' and business owners' demands. The most important change involves the relocation of the urban waste containers to the seaward side of the promenade.

The different stakeholders received information at a meeting held this morning in the port of Palma. The president, Javier Sanz, was in attendance as well as the councillor for Urban Planning, Housing and Projects, Óscar Fidalgo, to announce how the works are progressing on schedule and that they will be completed at the beginning of 2025.

Javier Sanz explained that an agreement has been reached to move the six banks of underground waste collection containers to the opposite side of the promenade. This decision came following requests from business and neighbourhood associations, who have agreed to do so to avoid any inconvenience to customers and passers-by on the land side of the promenade.

Sanz defended this decision based on the APB's initial commitment to this project, which was launched with an innovative approach to stakeholder relations. Javier Sanz added, “We have three clear objectives in this strategy: to engage them in the project, to provide them with the appropriate information at each stage and to welcome and respond to their concerns and needs.”

Stakeholders connected with Palma's Nou Passeig Marítim (New Promenade) project were selected according to the main sectors involved, which include residential, commerce, tourism, business and Palma's general public. As such, the main associations involved are ACOIPAM, CAEB, CAEB Restauración, ABONE, Federación de Asociaciones de vecinos de Palma (Federation of Neighbourhood Associations of Palma), FEBT, Asociación de Vecinos del Paseo Marítimo (Association of Neighbours of the Promenade), ASHPAMA, AFEDECO, PIMECO, FEHM, AMTAT, AEVAB, PIMEM and APEAM.

Previously completed work

A major achievement over the first few months, and the least visible, is that 75% of the project's most costly installations have already been completed. These are EMAYA's main sewer mains and sewage and rainwater discharge networks. The Urban Planning Councillor, Óscar Fidalgo, thanked the municipal water company for its “diligence”. “We have stuck rigidly to the premise of listening to our neighbours in order to improve their lives,” he added. The APB covered the cost of private connections to the rainwater and sewage networks for shopkeepers, neighbours and hoteliers who have asked us to do so.

Furthermore, this meeting announced that the first phase of the construction work is scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2024, to avoid disruption during the Easter holidays and the start of the tourist season.

At present, the pavements on the land side of the road are being laid in sections and based on each shop's requests for dates to avoid disrupting their business activities and to fit in with their closing and staff holiday schedules.

A consensus has also been reached with shopkeepers on the type of sunshades and partitions for new terraces. In the coming weeks, the remaining furniture, such as chairs and tables, will be chosen to create a uniform style for the entire promenade. Finally, many requests for review and adaptation of terraces by shopkeepers and hoteliers have been dealt with, given the new distribution of terrace space by three square metre blocks.

For more information, visit: noupasseigmaritimdepalma.portsdebalears.com

L'APB treu a concurs per quatre anys el varador adjacent al moll pesquer del port d'Eivissa

rjaume — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 09:30:35 +0000

The APB is putting the shipyard adjacent to the fishing quay in the port of Ibiza out to tender for four years

Palma

rjaume Wed, 22/11/2023 - 12:04

The Board of Directors of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has agreed at its last meeting, held yesterday in Palma, to put out to tender the concession to manage the shipyard adjacent to the fishing quay in the port of Ibiza, for a renewable period of four years and an exit fee of around 122,000 euros per year. The short duration of the concession is due to the planned rollout of the port's Special Plan, which envisages the relocation of this port activity to another quay.

The APB's planning for this area of the port of Ibiza foresees an underground car park with some 700 parking spaces, the construction of the new maritime terminal for maritime traffic from Formentera, the remodelling of the nautical facilities currently occupied by the Club Náutico de Ibiza and the transfer of the fishing sector activity and the shipyard to the current Commercial Docks.

In order to do this, the port's Special Plan must be approved, and Ibiza Town Council has assured the APB that it will make it a top priority and take all the necessary steps to restart the proceedings.

The space subject to tender consists of nearly nine thousand square metres of public port domain destined for maintenance and repair work on boats. The duration of the concession also provides for the possibility of two extensions of one year each.

Renewal denied

At the same meeting yesterday, the APB's Board of Directors agreed to deny Tanit Ibiza Port, S.A. the nine-year extension requested to continue operating the shipyard, which it holds until 30 November 2023. The APB is processing a temporary occupation authorisation, which will allow the current company to continue operating until the new contract is awarded.

La APB adjudicará a Marina Deportiva Menorca la concesión de la Colàrsega del puerto de Maó

rjaume — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 09:21:58 +0000

The APB will award Marina Deportiva Menorca the Colàrsega concession in the port of Mahon

Palma

rjaume Wed, 22/11/2023 - 12:00

The Board of Directors of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has agreed at its last meeting, held yesterday in Palma, to propose the company Marina Deportiva Menorca, S.L., as the most advantageous solution in the public tender for the concession to manage the recreational moorings in the Colàrsega area of the port of Mahon. The decision will see the contract re-awarded to the company currently running the nautical facility, which guarantees mooring fees for small boats at subsidised prices.

The tender specifications established an initial occupancy tax of 109,000 euros per year and an activity tax of 4% of turnover. In addition, Marina Deportiva Menorca proposed a fixed annual amount of 350,000 euros to supplement the occupancy and activity fees.

The future concessionaire will invest more than six million euros in a part of the public port domain that covers more than 20,000 square metres of water surface, and will hold the contract for a period of 13 years.

Aprobado el convenio entre la APB y el CIME para el uso deportivo de Isla Plana en el puerto de Maó

rjaume — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 09:45:16 +0000

Approval of the agreement between the APB and the CIME regarding the use of Isla Plana in the port of Mahon for marine sports

Palma

rjaume Wed, 22/11/2023 - 11:45

The Board of Directors of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has agreed at its last meeting, held yesterday in Palma, to approve the text of the agreement with the Island Council of Menorca (CIME) concerning the management of spaces and facilities on Isla Plana in the port of Mahon for use in marine sports. The agreement allows the CIME to enter into agreements with entities, sailing clubs and non-profit associations that wish to use these spaces.

The APB and the CIME hope that the new accord will convert the area in the centre of the port of Mahon into a dedicated hub for the activities offered by nautical schools, such as sailing and canoeing, and other aquatic pursuits like scuba diving, among other sports. In addition, plans are underway to provide a benchmark centre for adapted water sports, with specialist facilities to meet the needs of users from this group.

Under the agreement, the island administration will have access to a thousand square metre building and more than two thousand square metres of quay surface belonging to the APB, which it may use for marine water sports. The term of the agreement is six years, with the possibility of three one-year renewals.

L'APB garanteix els amarratges per a petites embarcacions d'esbarjo a la dàrsena del Molinar

rjaume — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 09:36:59 +0000

The APB guarantees moorings for small pleasure craft at the El Molinar dock

Palma

rjaume Wed, 22/11/2023 - 11:41

The Board of Directors of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has agreed at its last meeting, held yesterday in Palma, to select Nautic Assets Developers Team, S.L. as the most advantageous solution in the public tender for the concession to manage the moorings for small boats of up to eight metres in length at the El Molinar dock.

The tender specifications established an initial occupancy tax of 58,500 euros per year and an activity tax of 4% of turnover. In addition, Nautic Assets Developers Team have proposed a fixed annual amount of 68,000 euros to supplement the occupancy and activity fees.

The future concessionaire will invest 672,000 euros to install new jetties and other facilities and will manage the concession for a term of 18 years. It will also take over the building, which will host a bar-cafeteria-restaurant on the ground floor and social and cultural activities on the first floor.

The decision fulfils APB's commitment to maintaining the dimensions of El Molinar and the type of boats moored there, improving the integration between the port and the city, strengthening the port's sports facilities and continuing to offer subsidised moorings.

Training centre

Within the same dock, a 2,500 square metre area, known as Caló d'en Rigo, is occupied by newly constructed 600 square metre building, along with an esplanade and dry dock ramp that has been ceded to the Government of the Balearic Islands for the future construction of a marine sports training centre. The APB is currently waiting to receive the building project from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports.

In regard to the building in the El Molinar marina, the refurbishment works are due for completion next spring. As it stands, the APB has already completed the slowest phase of strengthening the structure and has now begun to put the new installations in place. From the outset, the APB's intention has been to conserve the structure of the historic building, taking into account the urban planning conditions stipulated in the Special Plan for the Port of Palma, as well as the building's significant historical heritage and construction style. The actual state of the structure – which was much worse than expected – led to a slowdown in the works and forced an increase in the budget to 1.2 million euros.

Lastly, the APB will soon put out to tender, as a matter of urgency, the contract to dredge the seabed of the El Molinar dock to extract the 1,400 cubic metres of rock and sand that have been awaiting removal since the completion of the works in 2020.

Nova zona enjardinada, amb ombres i bancs al moll de Ribera del port d’Eivissa

rjaume — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 08:52:05 +0000

New landscaped area with shade and seating on the Ribera Quay in the Port of Ibiza

Eivissa

rjaume Mon, 20/11/2023 - 13:35

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has begun work to renovate the area around the storm tank on the Ribera Quay in the Port of Ibiza as part of an overarching project to improve the integration between the port and the city, upgrade the surroundings, and provide new spaces for the public.

The initiative is intended to enhance the attractiveness of the space around the storm tank, which was installed by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge and is managed by the Balearic Islands’ Water and Environmental Quality Agency (ABAQUA).

Specifically, green spaces made up of large planters filled with foliage will be created in the area close to the Gent de la Mar monument. Elsewhere on the quay, modular concrete benches will be installed to form a large raised bed that will be planted with native shrubs, and three metal-framed pergolas with wooden roofs will be added to provide more shade for the area, along with other urban fixtures and fittings, such as litter bins.

The project has a budget of 227,718.12 euros plus VAT and is scheduled for completion by the 1st of March 2024.

L'APB retira més de 8,5 tones de residus de les aigües del port d'Eivissa en els darrers tres anys

rjaume — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 13:48:22 +0000

More than 8.5 tonnes of waste removed from Eivissa port waters over the last three years

Eivissa

rjaume Fri, 03/11/2023 - 11:04

Since the launch of a special water surface cleaning service in October 2020, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB as per its Spanish acronym) has collected 8.5 tonnes of waste from Eivissa port's waters. The port has three energy self-sufficient, cutting-edge vessels which maintain the water surface clean, while promoting carbon footprint reduction.

From October 2020 to July 2023, 4,500 kilos (53%) of the nearly 8,500 kilos of waste removed from Eivissa port waters is refuse-type material (paper, wood and others), while 2,300 kilos (27%) of the waste is organic. Plastics made up 1,700 kilos, just over 20 percent of the total amount collected. By way of illustration, the amount of plastics collected over this period of time from Eivissa port waters would fill 28 igloo-type street recycling containers.

Sorting by origin

For the first time, this innovative waste collection system makes it possible to determine where the waste arriving at Eivissa port comes from. As such, the data show that the majority, almost 40%, is land-based. This normally refers to waste which is blown into the port waters by the wind or which has been intentionally dumped.

24% of the waste originates offshore, which includes material that been carried by wind or currents into the sheltered waters of the port. This may come from ships or from other land-based areas outside the port.

Waste from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) comes in third place, with more than 19%. This is represented by waste from the sewage network or from existing wastewater treatment plants that flow into the port and cause unpleasant odours. Around 16% of the waste collected comes from recreational boating, and finally 4 % is generated by fishing activities.

Three vessels

Patena Pitiusas is the company in charge of cleaning an area of approximately 818,000 square metres of water surface in Eivissa port and 53,000 square metres in La Savina port. The cleaning equipment has three energy self-sufficient vessels.

One of them is equipped with a large hydraulic central scoop, which can pick up objects ranging from 10 millimetres to one tonne. The second is a fast-action hybrid inflatable dinghy. The fleet is enhanced by a two-metre surface cleaning drone and a 250-litre marine waste collection basket with an 8-hour operating time, designed to reach the most difficult-to-access areas between jetties and boats.

Tres projectes de l'APB per millorar l'aire dels ports reconeguts com a casos d'èxit europeus

rjaume — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 14:49:18 +0000

Three APB projects for air quality improvement in ports recognised as European success stories

Sète, França

rjaume Fri, 27/10/2023 - 14:03

The Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) port air quality monitoring and improvement projects were presented as success stories at the 13th PIANC Mediterranean Days international congress. Air quality monitoring, electrical ship connection and satellite pollution detection are showcased as digital transition examples for ports on a European scale.

The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC) organised this congress in the French town of Sète from 25-27 October under the title “Port of the Future”. The congress technical committee chose three presentations from the APB to show them to the professionals who work in the most technologically advanced ports in Europe and North Africa.

Jorge Martín, head of Quality, Environment, Innovation and CSR at APB, said that this presence at PIANC's Mediterranean Days international congress “is a European recognition of APB's strategic and environmental policy.”

Port sensors

The first of APB's three innovative projects designed to improve port air quality is the air quality monitoring system and the smart environmental platform for real-time air pollution monitoring in the ports of Palma, Alcúdia, Maó, Eivissa and La Savina. This project includes rolling out 25 monitoring stations at port facilities. In fact, it was recently awarded the international prize for the best air quality monitoring network at the 2022 Air Quality & Emission (AQE) trade fair.

The APB has been working since 2016 to improve a digital platform based on the principle that what cannot be measured cannot be managed. Today, this platform provides real-time air quality data and alerts to identify pollution hotspots at the five public ports it manages and to calculate the back trajectories of any pollutant identified by the sensors.

Cold Ironing is another project that is already a reality in the port of Palma, which refers to connecting ships to shoreside electrical power at berth. This system makes it possible to supply low and medium voltage electricity to ships docking at the quay closest to the city of Palma, which reduces gas and noise emissions while the ship is docked. It represents the first medium-voltage connection of its kind in Spain. European funds have been obtained thanks to this first project to electrify five more docks, two in the port of Eivissa, one more in the port of Palma, one in Alcúdia and another in Maó. The work is valued at approximately 12 million euros, forty per cent of which will be subsidised by European funds.

Satellite control

Lastly, the EIFFEL project is an EU-funded innovative venture that uses satellite imagery to proactively detect pollution spikes by cross-checking it with information obtained in situ from port activity. APB's sensor network measurements are used to calibrate these images and provide air quality data that is not only limited to the port of Palma but encompasses the entire island of Mallorca.

The team representing the APB at PIANC's Med Days international congress was made up of Jorge Martín, Head of Quality, Environment, Innovation and CSR, Cristina Alburquerque, Head of Environment, and Rafael Grau and Borja Zamácola, Heads of Infrastructures.

PIANC is a politically neutral non-profit organisation established in 1885, whose mission is to pool international expertise in innovation applied to the sustainability of marine infrastructures, with a strong focus on combating climate change and promoting respect for nature.

L'APB es converteix en la tercera autoritat portuària més transparent segons Dyntra

rjaume — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 11:29:09 +0000

The APB has been named the third most transparent port authority by Dyntra

Palma

rjaume Wed, 25/10/2023 - 14:14

In an effort to comply with and step up its commitment to managing the general interest ports and lighthouses of the Balearic Islands more transparently, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) today presented its new Transparency Portal to the public. The launch of the website comes after the Dyntra platform rated the APB as the third most transparent port authority in the Spanish port system, behind Castellón and Valencia.

The president of the APB, Javier Sanz, welcomed the assessment and expressed his expectation of further improvement in the transparency indicators during his term of office. In this context, he stressed the importance of deepening relations with stakeholders. "We have to listen to people, because that's what really matters", he remarked, "and the APB has to incentivise the companies who work with us to invest in sustainability by offering them advantages such as reduced fees and other benefits".

In the latest transparency report on the Spanish port authorities compiled by the Dyntra platform, the APB obtained a score of 51.2% by complying with 64 of the 125 indicators, which are based on the legal framework and proposed best practices for transparency in the management of ports on a national and international scale. Meanwhile, another transparency evaluation system, Mesta, assessed the APB as having met 96 per cent of the indicators. Both Dyntra and Mesta are dedicated to assessing and comparing the transparency of public institutions at a national and international level through a set of indicators and metrics aimed at rating the level of openness and accountability of these institutions.

Sustainability report

The public unveiling of the APB's Transparency Portal took place during an event that saw the presentation of the 2022 Sustainability Report to the port community, as well as the environmental innovation projects subsidised by the PUERTOS 4.0 fund: PORTNET,