Monday, March 30, 2015

New promotions of the CIFP Nautical Fishing School of Palma

The Nautical Fishing School of Palma has been educating professionals for the sector for many years, They recently started a course called “Installing and repairing electronic navigation systems and instruments on recreational and sporting vessels” and a third edition of “Auxiliary operations of systems and equipment maintenance on recreational and sporting vessels”. As these courses came to a completion and the new technicians were released to the job market, we  interviewed Toni Mulet from the Nautical Fishing School:

The attendees of the course “Installing and repairing electronic navigation systems and instruments on recreational and sporting vessels” have just left the school. What outlook do these new professionals have in finding a job this season?

Indeed the course is just finished, and we have received very posititive news – we are told that a large part of the group is already working in the companies dedicated to naval electronics.

Also the course “Auxiliary operations of systems and equipment maintenance on recreational and sporting vessels” is just about to finish. How is it going for the attendees of this course?

This course gives a certificate of expert level 1, which covers a variety of basic skills in the areas of mechanics, electricity and rigging. To be specific, right now they are are completing the module of professional  practice of 40 hours of duration. Most probably some of them will continue in a working relationship in the companies where they are doing the practice. 

We are aware that the companies are mainly searching for technician specialized on level 2. However, we believe that this qualification on the auxiliary level can open doors to young people and long term unemployed who want to get in this part of the job market, where opportunities are growing. The fact that with certificates on level 1 they can gain access to jobs on level 2 within the same specialty is a step forward in improving their working situation and future prospects.

Complete interview will be posted soon. 

Saturday, March 21, 2015

The Balearic nautical sector criticizes the tax increase on recreational boats

The tax increase on recreational yachts, approved by the Ministry of Public Works, was criticized today by the Association of the Balearic Yacht Clubs (ACNB) as being “unjust” and very negative for the competitiveness of the sector.

According to a statement by the president of ACNB, the association has sent a letter to the minister Ana Pastor, asking her to reconsider the increase of the tax. This request is backed up the Association of Marinas and Nautical Installations in the Balearic Islands (ANADE), The Balearic Sports Marinas (PDBA), the Provincial Association of Companies Engaged in Maritime Activities (APEAM), the Nautical Trade Association of the Balearic Islands (AENIB) and the Mediterranean Sailors Association (ADN).

The letter underlines the damage the nearly 100% tax increase would cause to the marinas, yacht clubs, nautical companies and charter companies as well as the whole tourist sector in general. The associations also complain that the decision has been made without hearing all parties affected.

“This fact alone should be sufficient reason for you to rethink this measure against the sector that has been a loyal ally of the country in these difficult times, maintaining with great effort their work force and fighting to produce services that contribute to the creation of jobs and wellbeing”, state the signatories of the letter to the minister Pastor.

They also point out the contradiction between the measure taken by the Ministry of Public Works and “the messages of support to the nautical sector by the president José Ramón Bauza”.

Read complete article (in Spanish) at Finanzas.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

ANEN Nautical Congress – the creation of the brand “Spain of the sea”

Regarding the analysis and evaluation of the current situation, the expert panel at the Congress came to the conclusion that in order to penetrate the public opinion it is necessary to update the x-ray of the sector, adjust the business models of the companies of the sector and adapt new concepts and strategies when it comes to sales and relationships with clients and sailing enthusiasts and to add new forms of communication to promote the leisure services and nautical tourism.

The nautical sector is in a favorable situation to take advantage of the achievements of the recent years. The relationship with the Administration has taken a 180º turn, a proof of this is the involvement in the Congress of the three key administrations whose support the sector is dependent on; Ministry of Public Works (State Secretary of Infrastructures, Transport and Housing and Direction General of the Merchant Marine), Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism (Turespaña) and Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports.

The nautical market in Europe is showing a timid growth, supported by the positive figures in Germany and Scandinavia and a slight recovery in Spain, as explained at the Congress by the general Secretary of EBI (European Boating Industry), Mirna Cieniewicz.

Read complete article (in Spanish) at: Passió per la Mar.

Key moments of the III Nautical Congress and access to the presentations

All the presentations that took place during the congress can be found on the website of ANEN. Just click on the link “Presentations III Nautical Congress”.

Monday, March 2, 2015

Letter from the president - March 2015

I would like to start with by thanking all those associates and guests who came to the Annual General Meeting and the presentation of the Nautical Awards. It thanks to people like you, 100% committed to the sector, that we manage to make progress.

Progress has always been one of the principal goals of our association. In the recent years we have participated in some of the most important advances in the sector. This might sound pompous and exaggerated, but in reality it is not. Side by side with ANEN we managed to exempt nautical charter of the matriculation tax. We also managed to get the recreational yachting recognized in its own right for the first time in the new Law of Navigation, separated from the Merchant Navy. We were also involved in the process of modernization of the nautical qualifications.

Right now we are doing the groundwork with ANEN for the future Nautical Professional Training and the Collective Agreement for our sector. Here in the Balearic Islands we have managed to revive the Palma Boat Show and to make name for it internationally. Worth mentioning is also another of our achievements - the simplification of the access to the launching ramps for boat trailers through one single card, given out by Ports IB.

All these achievements are a result of the joint efforts and resources of a great number of people. And this is how you reach your goals: by working hard and by investing time and money. This is why the Balearic Islands have become once again the national market leaders when it comes to boat registrations, ahead of the heavyweights like Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia.

The future might be looking bright for the first time in many years, but it won´t be any excuse for us to take it easy. The association will tirelessly continue to put pressure on the administration in order to eliminate all the obstacles that stay in the way of legal and fiscal harmonization with our neighboring countries.

We are going to carry on working in order to eliminate the matriculation tax altogether, to minimize the fiscal burden of our companies, to achieve high quality training  for our sector and to create a functioning collective agreement for the benefit of everybody. We are going to make a maximum effort so that you can concentrate on your work and on your clients. So that companies like Dinatec or Dahlberg, whose trajectories we pay tribute to today, will continue excelling for many more years to come.

In the section for News in Brief you will find various interviews with the award winners. I would like to say just a few words about each of them

Dinatec  was presented with the award for the Most Outstanding  Professional Trajectory. Toni Socias is well known businessman in the sector. He has dedicated over half of his life for serving the sailors and looking after their needs. His children are continuing in the family  business and we wish them all the good fortune they deserve. 

AENIB also wished to reward the loyalty and commitment of their longest standing members. This year the company Dahlberg S.A received the award for the longest membership. The history of Dahlberg is closely tied to the modern recreational yachting. Its founder, Kjell Dahlberg, was one of the pioneers to open a business specialized in yacht repairs, back in 1972. Nowadays three generations of the Dalhberg family dedicate themselves to the business.


Last but not least, we also wanted to recognize the labour of those public administrations that have shown the most interest in boosting our sector. This year the award goes without a doubt to the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands and to its president, Alberto Pons. We would like to emphasize his good relationship with the companies of the sector, his easy manners and his accessibility, as well as his vast knowledge of the problems of the recreational nautical sector.