Controversy Over the Upcoming Tender for the Use of Ramps and Moorings for 6th List Vessels at Ports

Representatives from the ports of Andratx, Sóller, Pollença, and Porto Cristo accessed the interior of the Ports IB building to hold a meeting with the legal team and management of Ports IB to discuss their situations.

On October 17, the Official Bulletin of the Balearic Islands (BOIB) published the agreement adopted by the Board of Directors of Ports IB to start the tender process through a public competition for the authorization of moorings for 6th list vessels and use of ramps in the facilities managed by the entity, for vessels that carry out commercial passenger transport activities for tourist or recreational purposes, boat rentals, and water activities, starting from the 2026 season, as well as provisional measures for the 2025 season.

A regulation that would affect companies currently operating in the 13 ports directly managed by Ports IB (Andratx, Cala Bona, Cala Figuera, Cala Ratjada, Ciutadella, Fornells, Pollença, Porto Cristo, Portocolom, Portopetro, Sant Antoni de Portmany, Sóller, and Colonia de Sant Jordi) and that in its first steps, has not been well received by some of those affected. Many of their representatives have expressed during this time their concern and dissatisfaction with the public entity through various letters, emails, and phone calls, contacts with which they never received a response, until yesterday, Tuesday, October 12, thanks to their gathering in front of the Ports IB headquarters and being attended by its manager, Kiko Villalonga.

It was the representatives from the ports of Andratx, Sóller, Pollença, and Porto Cristo who accessed the interior of the building to hold a meeting with the legal team and management of Ports IB to present their group and personal situations, in addition to requesting more information about this future tender, which they claim “has been released with very little time and small companies do not have time to react to find a plan B or decide if we invest to be able to present ourselves at a future public competition,” they explain. They also fear that Ports IB will take the same terms from Ciutadella to draft the contest for the rest of the port facilities on the Islands, in which “a large part of the total score of the tender is determined only by the economic offer presented,” they comment.

On June 19, 2023, the Board of Directors of Ports IB agreed to start the tender procedure for ramp use authorizations for rental companies in the inner harbor of Ciutadella starting from the 2024 season. These authorizations have been made in batches of six vessels for a period of four years. “Between investing in a new fleet and paying the licensing fees, it is impossible for the activity to start being profitable until the third or fourth year,” warn those affected.

Among some of the inconsistencies that those affected appreciate in the Ciutadella contest is the fact that the vessels must be less than two years old or that the vessels that can be rented have a maximum age of 5 years and a length of less than 6 meters. “It forces us to invest in new vessels and dispose of those that are more than five years old, even though they are in perfect condition. This rule is contrary to environmental care and ecological footprint,” they indicate.

In addition, the economic offer has an 80% valuation. A fact that could favor larger companies to the detriment of small local businesses. “The highest bidder takes it,” point out the representatives.

Some of these self-employed individuals believe that this measure will lead to the ruin of small businesses that have been generating employment for years. They recall that their activities complement the port activity such as free diving, fishing, scuba diving, maritime excursions... and contribute to the economic, social, and environmental development of the area. “Our small and medium-sized businesses have been working in the port of Sóller for between 6 and 30 years and we have made a large investment in buying boats, renting premises and offices... 45 families live directly from these businesses,” explain those affected from the port of Sóller.

Moreover, they point out that “there will be lots for uses of several vessels, a condition that does not fit the reality of some companies that only require a ramp use card, since they only have one vessel, and that make daily outings from the port of Sóller to practice this activity.

For his part, Kiko Villalonga, manager of Ports IB, explained to them that this process is necessary because it was already approved by the Board of Directors in 2017 and especially because they have a waiting list of more than 600 6th list vessels for the provision of maritime transport services, boat rentals, water activities, moorings, and use of ramps. In addition, these concessions will be made in batches and for a maximum period of four years.

According to Ports IB, this tender would allow for the rationalization and regulation of the operation of boat ramp facilities in the directly managed ports, with the goal of regulating their use and establishing the maximum number of companies and rental vessels of list 6.

Although Ports IB reminds that the bases are not yet written and the sector will be taken into account when drafting them, according to the BOIB, a contest for moorings intended for boat rentals and water activities will be opened, which will be awarded before the start of the 2026 season. And a contest for vessels intended for commercial activities of maritime passenger transport for tourist or recreational purposes, including the embarkation or disembarkation of passengers.

Individuals or legal entities that have had an authorization for vessels dedicated to boat rentals and water activities in the public domain during the year 2024, provided they are up to date with payments, may apply for a new one for a maximum period of one year. Until the mooring contest is carried out, current users will have preference to obtain a new authorization.

Furthermore, according to the BOIB, the authorization for the use of ramps by companies dedicated to boat rentals and water activities in the ports of Mallorca and Fornells directly managed will be tendered starting from the 2025 season. Until now, companies dedicated to some type of commercial activity, requested the use of ramp authorization every year, paying a fixed fee per year per vessel. This year, without the possibility of renewing these ramp cards electronically, as every year, in the port of Sóller they managed an extension for the 2024 season, from April to October. “They used a boatyard fee and we paid about 5€ per day and vessel. We have gone from paying about 500€ per vessel and for a whole year, to paying more than a thousand euros per registration and for only seven months,” explain those from Sóller.