Balearic nautical sector flexes its muscles at the X Nautical Congress
More than 400 marine professionals, including representatives of companies in the Balearic nautical sector, gathered in San Sebastian at the X Nautical Congress, organised by the Spanish Association of Nautical Companies (ANEN), a partner entity of AENIB.
For two days, the Balearic nautical employer association (AENIB) shared with other industry professionals their views on the current situation of the sector. After concluding this tenth edition of the Nautical Congress, AENIB is highly appreciative of this event which in the words of its president Jaume Vaquer "has been a success".
It was obvious that Balearic companies are more united than ever, and the marine industry is a strong sector. "It is time to reflect and analyse the content of the presentations and round table discussions and to put into practice everything learned in San Sebastian," said Vaquer.
Under the title "A decade of blue impulse", national and international speakers discussed six main topics: training, tourism and ports, economy, sustainability, digitalisation and legislation.
“Right from the start, the presentations at the congress have been very good. But what stands out the most is to see more than 400 companies from the sector represented in a single event. This shows the good position of ANEN and from AENIB we should be very proud to be part of its constitution" confirmed Margarita Dahlberg, honorary president and member of the Board of Directors of AENIB.
The journalist, presenter and yachtsman Quico Taronjí was in charge of presenting this special, 10th anniversary edition of the congress. Among the presentations that most interested the attendees was the round table discussion given by the Codification Commission for Recreational Boating, which included the director general of the Merchant Navy, Benito Núñez; the professor of commercial law, María Victoria Petit; the partner of the maritime law firm Albors Galiano Portales, Javier Portales and the legal advisor of ANEN, Carlos Sanlorenzo. The commission advanced important legislative reforms for recreational boating, such as the approval of the State Ports Act or the Regulation of recreational boating. In addition, development of the regulation to modify the registration of vessels for recreational charter boats has also been announced. These are all solutions to streamline the bureaucratic hurdles faced by the recreational boaters.
Sustainability and decarbonisation of the nautical industry were also at the centre of the debate, as well as the training needs of the sector to achieve qualified professionals, and maritime safety. On this last topic, major advances in recreational boating were also announced, such as the creation of an archive of recreational boats, which will include insurance details, whether the boat has passed the technical inspection and other documents.
In addition, the opportunities offered by port-city integration to democratise recreational boating were also discussed. Speaking specifically of the Balearic Islands, the managing director of Ports IB, Juan Vicente Roselló explained that a General Ports Plan is being developed to solve the lack of moorings. A plan which proposes to promote the activity of boat clubs and shows interest in developing a legal framework for private boat sharing, as well as moorings, either through yacht clubs or other agencies.