The APB approves the new reorganization proposal for the port of Palma

Yesterday, October 30, in Palma, the Board of Directors of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) agreed to the drafting of studies and projects for a new proposal for the configuration of infrastructure and uses of the port of Palma, after concluding a participatory process with its stakeholders.

The solution must contemplate the four axes that have been presented and agreed upon with all the stakeholder groups consulted over the last few months. First, maintaining the simultaneity of port operations at the Commercial docks, Poniente-Paraires docks, and the West dike, as is currently operated. This aspect removes the threat of congestion in port operations for loading and unloading goods and passengers, especially during peak morning hours.

Secondly, relocating the space designated for cruises, concentrating their activity at the Poniente-Paraires dock. Parallel to this, and as it becomes compatible with maintaining port operations in each area, the proposal will also promote the progressive relocation of the repair and maintenance areas to the West dike area within the sheltered waters of the port.

Lastly, as an added value to the general interest of the proposal, the new configuration will develop an integration project between the port and the city in the spaces freed up by the boat repair industry located in front of the Cathedral and at Contramuelle-Mollet. Both spaces will be designated for initiatives related to culture, training, and especially sports, prioritizing values such as the decompression of the city and the allocation of quality spaces for public use.

In the same session, the Board of Directors also agreed to initiate all the necessary procedures, including corresponding contracts to detail the actions to be undertaken and estimate the public and private investments. Also, the drafting of projects with the necessary economic and environmental studies for the execution of the infrastructure, according to the resulting port uses from the reorganization.

The APB began last summer a round of contacts with the representatives of its stakeholder groups to comply with the demands of the Board of Directors and the State Ports, by which it was determined that any port organization solution fully compatible with the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of Palma and the island of Mallorca, which emanates from broad consensus among all the political-institutional, economic, and social groups, within the current shelter envelope of the port, would be defended.

As a result of this, the port authority has developed a participatory process from June to October 2024, in which the main lines of the proposal for the reorganization of uses of the port of Palma were presented to more than 65 representatives of different groups.

Thus, contacts have been maintained with the nautical sector through associations and concessionaire companies such as APEAM, STP- Technical Port Services, Astilleros de Mallorca, Balearic Marine Cluster, ADNEA, FANMED, Club de Mar, Naviera Balear, Pantalán del Mediterráneo, Marina Port de Mallorca, Marina Cuarentena, La Lonja Marina Charter, Association of Nautical Clubs of the Balearic Islands, AENIB, and ANADE.

From the economic sector, meetings have been held with PIMEM, PIMECO, CAEB, Chamber of Commerce, AFEDECO, and ACOIPAM. From the social and environmental sphere, the association of Friends of the Maritime Museum, Ran de Mar Association, Association of Neighbors of Palma, the Royal Spanish Naval League, Alzinaires Association, Brotherhood of Fishermen of Palma, the Federation of Brotherhoods of Fishermen of the Balearic Islands, the Association of Neighbors of Paseo Marítimo, the Civil Society Forum, and ARCA.

On the part of the official colleges, meetings have been held with the College of Architects, the College of Naval Engineers, and the College of Engineers of Roads, Canals, and Ports.

Finally, the round of contacts ended with a meeting in the political arena with the parliamentary groups of the Partido Popular, PSIB-PSOE, Unidas Podemos/MÉS per Mallorca, VOX, and with the Government Delegate in the Balearic Islands, Alfonso Rodríguez.

On June 5, the Board of Directors of the APB unanimously agreed to desist from the environmental processing of the port reorganization project approved in 2020, which envisaged the concentration of regular traffic in the West dike basin and the allocation of the Commercial docks to the nautical maintenance sector, as well as to suspend the contract for drafting the construction projects.

The decision was made after noting that several groups, such as shipping companies and the repair sector, disagreed with the essence of the 2020 plan because it did not respond to their long-term needs.

For this reason, the Board of Directors of the APB decided to halt actions aimed at executing that plan. In turn, the president of the APB, Javier Sanz, committed to raising a new proposal for the configuration of the port of Palma in the coming months, which has occurred today and was unanimously approved.