Restructuring of the Palma Port is necessary, but in agreement with all involved, according to the refit sector

The remodelling of the Port of Palma de Mallorca is one of the keys that the boat repair sector sees to increased production capacity, although the changes in the Bay of Palma should be done by consensus "between all involved, the city, other organisms and entities".

This is how the director of Servicios Técnicos Portuarios (STP), Joan Rosselló, explained it in an interview with Europa Press. He emphasized that the minimum that the sector requires from the reform planned by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) in the Port of Palma is to have "the same installations as currently and some more". Were they given "more space and more capacity", also keeping in mind that "location is an important factor, the repair sector could improve considerably".

Rosselló explained that if these factors are kept in mind, and seeing how the demand in the sector has increased in the recent years, the sector has to grow in order to maintain the quality".

For example, if the boatyard areas were extended, it would be possible to create the necessary installations for repair and maintenance of yachts between 100 and 120 m of length (the current capacity is only up to 60 m), explained the director of STP.

"THE DIMENSION OF THE EXPANSION IS DEBATABLE"

Regarding this, the director of the Astilleros de Mallorca, Diego Colón, affirms that "in any case, remodelling on the port is necessary", although he added that "the dimension of the expansion is debatable", as according to him, this reform "has to be done in mutual agreement for the benefit of all".

When it comes to the environmental impact of the reform, which consists of an extension of 340.000 square meters of new areas gained from the sea according to the plan by APB, Colon assured that "they will continue with their good environmental practices" recognized by the Confederation of the Balearic Trade Associations (CAEB) in 2012 for their Environmental Management System.

For Rossello, the legislation in the sector has experienced a change in the past year and a half with the elimination of the matriculation tax for charter yachts and the Law of Ports, which, according to Rossello "increases the concession times" and "opens the door to investments in new installations and machinery". 

Complete article: Yahoo.