Services

Services provided by the port

I) General services

These are the common services for port users with no actual need to request them, and those necessary to enable Port Authorities to carry out their functions. The Huelva Port Authority provides the following general services:

• The service organising and controlling land and sea port traffic.
• The service coordinating and controlling operations associated with port services, commercial services and other activities.
• The policing service in common areas, without prejudice to any competences falling to other authorities.
• The lighting service in common areas.
• The regular cleaning service in common areas at sea and on land. This does not include the cleaning of docks and esplanades as a consequence of the setting down and handling of goods, or the cleaning of spills and sea pollutants.
• Services for the prevention and control of emergencies, in the terms established in civil protection regulations, alongside the authorities responsible for civil protection, the prevention and extinguishing of fires, salvage operations and prevention of pollution.

The Port Authority is generally responsible for providing general services, although this task may be outsourced to third parties when this poses no risks to safety or does not entail the exercise of authority.

On 31 March 2015 a four-year service contract was signed between the Huelva Port Authority and the State Maritime Safety and Rescue Company for the general service organising, coordinating and controlling the port’s sea traffic. The contract arose from the Framework Cooperation Contract drawn up by the State Maritime Safety and Rescue Company and the public body in March 2014, and governs service levels. In 2019, the extension of that agreement was signed and will continue in force for a further year until April 2020.

II) Port Services

Port services are the activities necessary to operate ports, focusing on operations associated with sea traffic, safely, efficiently, continuously and with no discrimination, carried out within the territorial scope of Port Authorities.

These activities, which are increasingly diversified and complex, must be carried out by private initiative in free competition, with the exceptions provided for in law, and in any case must guarantee compliance by applications with the legal conditions and prerequisites.

Provision of port services will require a Port Authority licence, which may only be granted by approval of the Particular Specifications for the service concerned.

This means that port services include technical-nautical services (piloting, harbour tug service, berthing and deberthing), passenger services, services to process waste generated by ships and the goods handling service.

However, Regulation (EU) 2017/352 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for the provision of port services and common rules on the financial transparency of European ports, including the supply of fuels as a Port Service, came into force on 15 February 2017. Although all EU Regulations are legal instruments defined by Article 288 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union with a general scope, they must be observed in full and are directly applicable in all EU member states, the State Ports organisation is pending legal provisions to transpose the Regulation into national law. Subsequently, the procedure laid down in law must be established to issue the service licences concerned and, among other items, approval of the particular specifications when the State Ports body has drawn up the Draft Framework Specifications.

Until this task has been carried out, in accordance with current legislation the situation of Port Services at Huelva Port is as follows:

Technical-nautical services

Piloting service

The basic specifications for the competition to award the licence for harbour piloting services at Huelva Port were approved by the Board of Directors on 26 June 2013.

On 11 December 2013 the Board of Directors of the Huelva Port Authority awarded the licence for harbour piloting services at Huelva Port to Corporación de Prácticos del Puerto y Ría de Huelva, S.L.P. for a period of ten (10) years, in accordance with the Particular Specifications for the Huelva Port Piloting Service and the competition’s basic specifications.

Berthing and deberthing service

The State Ports body has yet to draw up the draft framework document to include the provisions of European Union (EU) Regulation 2017/352 of the European Parliament and of the Council before the specifications can be drawn up and approved.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, by way of a temporary measure, on 27 June 2019 the Board of Directors of the Huelva Port Authority extended the harbour berthing service following expiry of the statutory one-year period, until the specifications had been approved.

Tug service

The State Ports body has yet to draw up the draft framework document to include the provisions of European Union (EU) Regulation 2017/352 of the European Parliament and of the Council before the specifications can be drawn up and approved.

Therefore, by way of a temporary measure, on 14 November 2019 the Board of Directors of the Huelva Port Authority extended the harbour service following expiry of the statutory one-year period, until the specifications had been approved. The smaller tug licence was also extended in the meeting on 21 March 2019.

Service to process the waste generated by ships

As is the case for harbour berthing and tug services, the State Ports body has yet to draw up the draft framework document to include the provisions of European Union (EU) Regulation 2017/352 of the European Parliament and of the Council before the specifications can be drawn up and approved.

Therefore, by way of a temporary measure, on 27 June 2019 and 14 November 2019 the Board of Directors of the Huelva Port Authority extended the MARPOL V (solid waste) and MARPOL I (oil-based waste) processing services following expiry of the statutory one-year period, until the specifications had been approved.

Passenger services

The State Ports body has yet to draw up the draft framework document to include the provisions of European Union (EU) Regulation 2017/352 of the European Parliament and of the Council before the specifications can be drawn up and approved.

Goods handling service

The State Ports body has yet to draw up the draft framework document to include the provisions of European Union (EU) Regulation 2017/352 of the European Parliament and of the Council before the specifications can be drawn up and approved.

III) Commercial Services

These are commercial services that are not actually port services but are nevertheless related to port activities. Pursuant to the legal provisions applicable, these types of services will be provided on the basis of a competition authorised by the port authorities with specific conditions.

Many activities are carried out at Huelva Port in this format.

In 2019, the Board of Directors of Huelva Port Authority agreed to the provisional authorisation of  ITSAS GAS BUNKER SUPPLY, S.L., to provide the bulk liquefied natural gas supply commercial services to vessels in the Zone II anchorage by means of bunkering barge at the Port of Huelva, until Huelva Port Authority approves the specific provisions of that service. Subsequently, authorisation was given to expand the service to supply LNG, using the same "OIZMENDI" bunkering barge, to the public wharves of the Huelva Outer Port.

Similarly, the aforementioned Board provisionally authorised ESK, S.A. to provide the commercial service of supplying Liquefied Natural Gas to vessels by means of shore mobile services, pursuant to the Specifications regulating the LNG supply to vessels by shore mobile services in the Port of Huelva Service Area..

IV) Maritime signalling service

The maritime signalling service concerns the installation, maintenance, control and inspection of active or passive visual, acoustic, electronic or radioelectric devices to enhance navigational safety and movements of ships around the Spanish coastline, and where necessary confirm the position of craft during navigation.

Provision of this service for the Huelva Port Authority is reflected in the geographic area assigned for this purpose².
2 See the General Plan of Huelva Port.

The link below shows the buoy marking area in areas I and II at Huelva Port.

Number of companies operating with concessions, authorisations or licences at the port

Actual land surface used for commercial purposes

Total surface area (m2)	5,246,599.70 m2
Concessionable area (m2)	3,694,658.33 m2
RATIO (%)	70.42 %

Of the 17,161,871 m² total surface area of the Huelva Port service area, approximately 5,246,599.70 m², or around 31%, are fully concessionable. The remainder is subject to town planning and/or environmental restrictions or general service usage (communications, green spaces etc.). In 2019 the concessionable area was 3.694.658,33 m², 3,222,422.69 m² of which were on land.

The surface area in the Special Organisation Plan earmarked for any kind of commercial-port usage is 1,865,051 m², although, due to the extension of Ingeniero Juan Gonzalo Dock (to the north and to the south), the actual commercial-port usage surface area is 1,912,602 m², in which the spaces occupied currently account for an approximate surface area of 540,384 m².

Percentage of tonnes of concession goods or authorised goods moved at port terminals

The concession goods or authorised goods at port terminals account for the following volumes and percentages of total goods traffic: