The president of Puertos del Estado visits the port of Palma

• Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena and Francesc Antich meet with port operators from the islands.
• The president of Puertos del Estado shows interest in the ship electricity supply system already in operation in Palma.

February 7, 2022. The president of Puertos del Estado, Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena, made an institutional visit to the Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) this morning, accompanied by President Francesc Antich and his management team, as part of the round of meetings he is conducting with the managers of the general interest ports of the State Port System.

After signing the APB's guestbook, Rodríguez Dapena received a commemorative plaque from Antich marking the visit coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the port organization.

Subsequently, they toured the port of Palma, visiting the new medium and low voltage electrical connection infrastructure so that moored ferries can reduce emissions of gases and noise generated by their engines during stops and boarding operations. An innovative technological advance that the president of Puertos del Estado has described as innovative and that the president of the APB places within "the commitment assumed by the ports in their fight against climate change."

After meeting with the APB's management team, where he learned firsthand about the projects and challenges affecting the ports of Palma, Alcudia, Maó, Eivissa, and La Savina, he held a meeting with some of the main port operators in the islands.

Among the topics discussed, the identification of the APB's strategic plan with the guidelines and general lines of the Strategic Framework of the Spanish port system, both of which are expected to be approved in 2022, stands out. Central themes of the presentation include the application of sustainable management and ecological transition policies, as well as the transformation of port terminals to be exclusively powered by renewable energies.

The need to adapt structures and human resources to the unique management of five ports on four islands, the organization of regular passenger and cargo transport lines, the opportunity to promote more sustainable cruise tourism, the situation of the nautical sector, and the boat repair and maintenance industry, as well as the future developments of the port of Palma, have been among the aspects discussed with APB technicians and the port community of the Balearic Islands.