The main marinas of the Balearics, present at the 1st Spain's Marinas National Congress

The 'sanroqueña' marina points out the imoprtance of work commissions put into force in this forum with permanent nature and thanks the choosing as headquarters of the first national forum dedicated to sportive marinas and ports of Spain.

Puerto Sotogrande has closed the 1st Spain's Marinas National Congress with great success, an encounter that for three days has turned the 'sanroqueña' marina into the neualgic center of the nautical-sportive Spanish sector and into the epicenter of the national debate about sustainability, innovation, digitalization and institutional cooperation in portuary spaces. Almost 250 amongst professionals, directorates, authorities and institutional representatives of almost sixty aportive marinas and ports of all the country, have taken part in the first national forum integrally dedicated to Spanish marinas and to sportive ports, celebrated uner the Presidency of Honor od S. M. the King Don Felipe the 6th. 

Amongst all the assistants, it is important to point out the participation of Antoni Mercant, general director of Ports and Maritime Transport of the Government of the Balearic Islands, and of Francisco José Villalonga, manager of Ports Illes Balears.

In addition, the following ports and marinas of the Balearic Islands participated: Real Club Náutico de Palma, Marina Port de Mallorca, Marina Ibiza, Marina Port Ibiza, Marina Port Mahón, STP Shipyard Palma, Port Adriano, Botafoc Ibiza, Marina Port Tarraco, Marina Santa Eulalia, Club de Mar Mallorca and IGY Marinas.

From Puerto Sotogrande the opportunity to host a historical forum that has formed a milestone for the sector is valued very positively, being recognized as the first encounter space of national nature dedicated specifically to Spanish sportive marinas and ports. The technical and institutional sessions celebrated during the congress have allowed analyzing the main challenges of the sector and advancing in a shared strategic vision that boosts blue economy, efficiency in portuary management and environmental protection.

This way, the technical session, organized on Thursday, gathered experts and portuary managers regarding key topics such as sustainability, digitalization, management, leadership and communication, consolidating itself as a useful work, participative and high-level technical space. Equally, the institutional tables celebrated in the last session have allowed advancing in a vision between administrations, autonomic marinas, portuary authorities and responsible audiences, reinforcing the commitment for an efficient, sustainable model, adapted to the future of the sector.

The manager director of Puerto Sotogrande, Miguel Ángel Díez, has pointed out that “this congress has achieved something that the sector has needed for a lot of years: reuniting, listenning to each other and building together. Sotogrande's sports port is going into a transformation based in sustainability, innovation and digitalization, and has been headquarters of this first national encounter that allows us sharing experience, learning from other ports and adding our vision regarding the future of sportive seamanship in Spain”. He added that "success of these days shows that the sector is ready to give a quality jump and advance towards more resilient, more human and more efficient marinas”.

At the closure, which had the presence of the mayor of San Roque, Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix, the strategic role that Puerto Deportivo Sotogrande has at the municipality, in Gibraltar's area and in the Occidental Sun Coast, as well as the tight vinculation of San Roque with the sea, its history and the economic and touristic development, was pointed out. Ruiz Boix expressed his satisfaction to host this first congress in "one of the most prominent sportive ports of the countries" and reaffirmed the municipality's will of keeping boosting pojects that reinforce blue economy and nautical excellency in the territory.

The closure, presided by Tomás Azcárate, president of Spain's Marinas, has representatives of the State's Ports, of the Ecological Transition Ministry and the Demographic Challenge, of diverse portuary authorities —such as Algeciras or Málaga—, responsible of the main autonomic marinas and associations of the country. This first congress opens a new collaboration and growth phase for the Spanish nautical-sportive sector.