Sant Antoni harbour: Ports IB tenders underwater mooring upkeep

Ports IB, the Balearic Islands' port authority, has put out to tender a contract for the underwater maintenance of the moorings at Sant Antoni harbour, according to La Voz de Ibiza. The tender covers the comprehensive upkeep of mooring systems and submerged structures in the ports Ports IB manages directly on the island, which the tender documents limit to Sant Antoni.

The base budget is €155,652.60 including VAT (€128,638.52 before tax) for two years. If all three yearly extensions are used, spending could reach €389,131.52 over five years. The work covers the Tramontana quay, the excursion-boat quay and the quay used by the professional fishing fleet, plus the five pontoons, which together offer close to 400 berths. Ports IB says it has no in-house resources for this type of work, which is why it is contracting it out.

What the contract requires

The winning company must inspect the whole mooring system twice a year. Checks include the concrete anchor blocks, rings, shackles, main and mooring chains, ropes, floating pontoons and buoys. Each inspection is valued at €3,934.50 and involves moving loose seabed material to examine buried parts. After each one, the contractor delivers a condition report with photographs and video, mainly of any worn elements, together with an updated inventory of spare material. A Ports IB technician then decides which preventive work to carry out.

Two specific jobs are included. Before the high season, four yellow 400 mm buoys marking the bathing zone at Ses Coves Blanques beach are to be installed, and removed again when the season ends. The contractor also maintains the beacons marking the harbour entrance channel, including their anchoring, buoyancy, light signals and GPS position.

Urgent repairs must be completed within 48 hours of a call from Ports IB staff. Late work can be given to a third party and carries a €150 penalty, plus €250 for each extra day. Repeated failures, more than three, allow the contract to be ended without compensation. In emergencies where people, property or the environment are at risk, the response must be immediate, and failing to respond carries a €5,000 penalty. The company must also keep a telephone line open around the clock.

The contractor must field at least five professional divers, one of them a team leader, and two licensed skippers, who can be among the divers. It also needs a professional boat of at least five metres carrying five people, a van, civil liability insurance of at least €300,000 and the regional authorisation for professional diving.

What it means

For boat owners and charter guests, the contract sets a regular schedule of checks on the berths and fixed equipment in Sant Antoni, with fast repairs promised for faults. Skippers using the harbour can expect the entrance channel beacons to be kept up as part of the same service.

Anyone planning a stay or a charter that starts from Sant Antoni can follow the tender through the Ports IB procurement channels. The award date has not been reported, so it is worth watching for the announcement of the winning company.

Background

La Voz de Ibiza reports that Sant Antoni port has recently had 23 provisional berths brought into use and that the Govern balear's plan to bring ferries back to the town has the backing of the town council. These items are separate from this contract.

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