The Corporation of Pilots of the Port of Palma, best entity at the 2025 Timón Awards

Gaceta Náutica points out its essential utility for maritime traffic and aspires to give visibility to such an old profession as sailing.

The Corporation of Pilots of the Port of Palma has been recognized with Gaceta Náutica's Timón Award to the best entity or institution of 2025, an award with which the jury has wanted to recognize the essential labour that this technician body develops in the daily life of the port of Palma, main maritime access door to goods and passengers of the Balearics. The awards ceremony of the Timón Awards will take place on November 21st, at 7:30 p.m., in Palma's Port Center.

Gaceta Náutica has valued the decisive role of the sailing security pilots and of the portuary operations, as well as its addition to the protection of the marine environment and the efficiency of maritime traffic. With this distinction, the Timón awards also aspire to give visibility to a profession as old as sailing.

The Corporation of Pilots of the Port of Palma is the one in charge for lending service of pilotage in delimited portuary waters in lending licence approved by the Balearics Portuary Authority (APB). This service, universal and mandatory for vessels over 500 GT or for those who carry dangerous goods, is strongly regulated by its direct impact on maritime security.

The pilot is the professional that, after surpassing a demanding habilitation process, advices captains of vessels during the manoeuvres of entry, exit, mooring or docking, indicating the convenient course and the necessary nautical manoeuvres to guarantee the security of sailing, of the crews and of the portuary facilities.

The pilotage service is lent the 365 days of the year, the 24 hours of the day, continuously. Palma's pilots are active at any moment, under any metheorological condition, to ease the passengers and goods maritime transit that connect the islands with the peninsula and with the rest of the world.

Pilotage is one of the oldest and most traditional maritime professions. In Spain, the first corporations of pilots are reported from the 15th century, and the Ordinances of 1737 already established its mandatory nature, pointing out that "every captain or instructor that enters the port of destination or in another of their precise arrival myst take the regular pilot".

The Corporation of Pilots of the Port of Palma is one of the nineteen certifies ones in the world with the international standard ISPO (International Standard for Pilotage Organizations), a specific code of the maritime sector that guarantees the efficient and transparent management of the pilotage service. It was, in addition, the first corporation of Spain and the Occidental Mediterranean in obtaining this distinction.

Since 2015, Lloyd’s Register audits externally its Management Integrated System, fulfilling the requirements of the ISPO code, which guarantees the constant improvement, the transparency and the exemplarity in the service lending.

The 10th Timón Awards, organizaded by Gaceta Náutica, are sponsored by the Autoridad Portuaria de Baleares, Ports IB, Redeia y D-Marin, and has the collaboration of Bufete Frau, Sa Calma Boats, Portcall, Cruceros Margarita, Alcudiamar, Club de Vela Port d’Andratx, Puerto Portals, Port Adriano, Astilleros de Mallorca, León Von Ondarza Abogados, Asociación de Clubes Náuticos de Baleares, ANADE, Real Club Náutico de Palma, Bodegas José Luis Ferrer and Exclusive Rent 4 Events. This year's gala will be celebrated on November 21st at Palma's Port Center (institutional headquarters of the Autoridad Portuaria de Baleares) at 7:30 p.m..