This month AENIB participated at the Barcelona International Boat Show. Those few days were very productive with a general focus on how to improve our sector. On the 20th od September some of the most influential representatives of the European nautical sector had a meeting in Palma to address the equivalence of the professional captain´s licenses in Spain, Germany and UK. It was a fruitful meeting, where we had the honour to participate and express our point of view. Only a few days ago the appointment of Alberto Pons as the new President of the Port Authority, replacing José María Urrutia, was made public.
A couple of weeks ago we participated in the Barcelona International Boat Show sharing a stand with ATB, the Balearic Tourism Agency. We had a very succesful few days establishing contacts and explaining the work we do on behalf of our entrepreneurs. We could see clearly how the Show reflects the crisis of the recreational nautical sector, and despite having numerous visitors, the sales results as well as the number of exhibitors were not satisfactory.
Talking more generally of the event, during these few days the Show generated such a number of news that we would need to write several bulletins to address them all! Specially notable were the different meetings organized by ANEN to debate the problems that affect us as a sector and to pass on our worries to the public administration. Along these lines an informative breakfast meeting was organised between ANEN and the Director General of the Merchant Navy, Rafael Rodriguez Valero, where issues like the anticipated new ministerial order regarding the change of qualifications and imminent elimination of the matriculation tax for charter were discussed.
In the various meetings different issues were addressed, like marketing, storage and removal of pyrotechnic material related to the sector, as well as proposals how to solve detected problems. Another meeting dealt entirely with the nautical charter.
AENIB participated in the prytechnic workshop where various problems were debated, for example the use and storage of dangerous materials. The participating companies demanded an extension up to 100 kg of the storage capacity in the distributors premises (currently 15 kg net weight) and that only the primary explosives should be considered pyrotechnic material. Another workshop dealt with the issues of elimination of expired pyrotechnic material.
In the charter meeting various issues were dealt with. In the first round table the fiscal, administrative and legal issues related to the future exemption of the matriculation tax in the nautical charter were discussed. The second part of the debate, in which I had the honour to be a moderator together with the technical consultant of Anen, José Luis Fayos, was dedicated to the charter service companies and the promotional opportunities for these companies.
On the 20th of September a TRECVET conference was organised at the Chamber of Commerce of Mallorca, addressing the combatibility of the professional captain´s license in Spain, Germany and UK. To deal with the issue, a large group of representatives from the nautical sectors in the above mentioned countries took part in the meeting, amongst them the General Secretary of ANEN, Carlos Sanlorenzo, the CEO of the Royal Yachting Association, Sarah Tresedar, and numerous others, including representatives of AENIB. It was a very successful meeting highlighting the problems derived from different systems used for the same work in determined areas, and discussing what can be done to unify the criteria. This is a fairly common problem, in the Balearics we know better than anybody that a captain may or may not work on a yacht, depending on the flag of the yacht. The European TRECVET project, coordinated locally by our associates Sea Teach S.L, attempts to eliminate these barriers. And judging by the positive feedback from the conference, we believe they are onto a good thing.
In September also the Monaco Yacht Show, one of the biggest shows on a worldwide scale, took place. Despite a decline in visitor numbers, the exhibitors and professionals were on the increase, amongst them the worlds greatest brands of superyachts, both when it comes to designers and ship yards. It was also obvious that the presence of the brokers and agents is on the increase, as well as the number of exhibited yachts, offering an exclusive remise service to their clients, whisking them from one side of the port to the other in tenders, to welcome parties and entertainment in premises privately rented for the purpose... Regardless of the crisis, the Monaco show continues to be the place visit for the nautical sector, and besides enjoys the total support of the Principality. Its success did not come about by a chance.
A few days ago the appointment of Alberto Pons as the new President of the Balearic Port Authority was made public. AENIB is pleased with the appointment of a person with experience in the nautical sector and who understands its issues thanks to the experience he gained during the 15 years as the Manager the Real Club Náutico de Palma. We hope to have a meeting with him within short, and to start working together to improve the situation of the Balearic enterprises.
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