The APB rejects ARCA's proposals for the reform of the Port of Palma: "They are not viable"

PalmThe Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) has reiterated to the Association for the Revitalization of Old Centers (ARCA) that the Palma port transformation project is based "on technical rigor and the general interest". The president of the APB, Javier Sanz, and the director, Toni Ginard, met this Tuesday with representatives of ARCA to clarify the axes of the transformation project.

According to the port authority, the project currently under development is the result of a "broad and structured" participatory process carried out two years ago, in which contributions from civil society were collected and analyzed, including those from entities such as ARCA or the Fòrum de la Societat Civil.

As a result of this process, various actions aimed at improving port-city integration and recovering spaces for citizen use have been incorporated into the project's design, such as the Maritime Museum project or the municipal sailing school, among others.

However, the APB has stressed that it must reconcile these demands with correct port operations. Thus, meetings have been held with the stakeholders involved in port activity to evaluate the technical and operational requirements that guarantee the port's functioning.

According to the APB, the project maintains the three berths currently necessary to safeguard the logistics chain of the Balearic Islands, ensuring the supply and maritime connectivity of the Islands.

"They are not viable"

Regarding ARCA's proposals, the port authority has assured that they have been analyzed "in depth" within the set of alternatives studied during the planning phase. Nevertheless, they have been discarded for being technically "not viable".

The APB has insisted that the project's objective is not to prioritize a single approach, but to "articulate a balanced solution that integrates legitimate, but sometimes divergent demands", referring to the citizens' desire to reclaim spaces and improve the relationship with the waterfront; the shipping sector's need to maintain three fully functional operational areas; and the industrial sector's requirement to have adequate conditions to maintain its competitiveness in an increasingly demanding environment.

Waste treatment

In relation to the sub-project for the installation of ship waste pre-treatment (Marpol), they have remarked that it will be located a few meters from the area where the two treatment plants currently used in the port of Palma are located.

The new plant, they have added, will represent a "substantial" improvement compared to the current situation. They have also recalled that this is a mandatory service for the APB by virtue of international and national regulations.

For the port authority, this project, approved unanimously by the Board of Directors in March 2026, not only responds to a legal and operational need, but also "constitutes a key action to move towards a more sustainable, safe and efficient port model".