Sports development, main criteria for adjudicating a nautical facility at the port of Mahón

The portuary organism tenders a concession for a period of 30 years in which, for the first time, sports development is the main criteria of the adjudication.

The Balearics Portuary Authority’s (APB) Council has come into agreement, in their last reunion celebrated yesterday, October 29th, in Palma, tendering the management of a nautical facility at the port of Mahón, focused primarily on boosting the federated practice of sailing and canoeing. In this concession, the APB discards obtaining extraordinary income with taxes and, in counterpart, focuses on the adjudicating company investing in the boosting of sport.

APB will give most importance to the offer that focuses on investing the most to yearly sporting activities. The sports plan presented by every company will have to include actions that boost base and federated sport. It will also have to concrete economic parts destined to boosting and practice of sport.

On the other hand, the yearly tax of occupation of the public portuary domain will be fixed, eliminating the possibility of offering additional quantities that increase the income that the APB received due to the concession.

With this change of focus, the APB redirects the possible economic improvements that can present companies so that, instead of it being received directly, for the investment to be destined to boosting nautical sport.

The concession, which will be given for a maximum phase of 30 years, will have a total surface of over 22.000 square metres, expandable up to almost 29.000 metres, distributed between water mirror and surface at land. These are places in the muelle de Levante, between the Punta des Rellotge and the square of Cala Figuera, at the port of Mahón.

The nautical installation will have to implant sailing and canoeing schools, open to kids, young people and adults, organize competitions and create technification programmes and give economic support to athletes, such as scholarships or subsidies to athletes due to results or displacements. It will also be obliged to boosting training, social and environmental activities, as well as keeping a yearly calendar os sporting events validated by the autonomic and national federations.

Optionally, it will be able to develop other initiatives and nautical sports, such as sportive fishing or subaquatic activities. In addition, it will have to boost complementary programs of educational, cultural and environmental nature, as well as promoting sailing clubs and the inclusive practice of nautical sport.

In addition, it will be compulsory to execute investments in infrastructures as well as sportive equipment during the three first years of concession, with special attention to universal accessibility and environmental sustainability, such as the installation of moorings adapted to electrical recharge to boost transformation of the fleet to more sustainable ships.

The incorporation of renewable energies and low ecological impact material will be valued in the contest, as well as improvement measures of marine biodiversity.

When evaluating the bids, consideration will be given to the balance between the investment committed to the project and the proposed concession period. As a new measure, and to prevent the deterioration of the infrastructure over the years, the APB requires the nautical facility to make a replacement investment of at least two million euros in the renovation and improvement of port equipment starting from the 18th year of the concession.

The nautical facility must offer a minimum of 75 berths for vessels up to 8 meters in length, of which eight will be reserved for lateen sailboats, and a maximum of 20 percent for vessels over 12 meters.

Current users with base vessels will have preferential rights under the new concession, provided they meet the established requirements. The tender documents set maximum berthing fees, and in evaluating the bids, higher scores will be given to those offering the greatest reductions.

The project is part of the APB’s strategy to promote the social and sporting uses of ports of general interest, while ensuring the conservation of public domain, the sustainability of its operations, and compatibility with other port uses.