Promotion of trade

Commercial trade initiatives in 2019 (I_30)

The three main objectives for the sustainability of the Port of Huelva’s global traffic are to:

1. Maintain and consolidate the traditional liquid and solid bulk traffic.
2. Attract new roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro/ro-pax) and container general freight, tourist cruise ships, supplies and mega-yacht tourism, etc.
3. Develop the Logistic Activities Zone (SAL) and the Majarabique and South Wharf railway terminals.

This is all underpinned by a development strategy based on railway connectivity as an added value and differential element.

Attracting new activities that require a territorial base and generate import/export maritime traffic is common to all the aforementioned goals. Having Quasi Customs and Customs Services whose organisation, size and flexibility are in keeping with the evolution of the traffic and the needs of the market is essential to ensure those achievements.

From the point of view of commercial promotion and management, 2020 was seriously impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic as circumstances meant it was possible to attend in-person events and fairs, promotion symposiums and events, in-person meetings with several people. All commercial, promotion and management were conducted using the available tools such as telephone, email and video conferences, even though the effectiveness is not the same as in face-to-face meetings with clients and potential users of the Port. During the year, 170 commercial procedures including calls, video conferences, attending webinars, were conducted to ensure the visibility of the Port of Huelva abroad and contribute to its promotion despite the constraints on mobility.

The Commercial Plan operates as an integrated guide in the port Business Plan. From that perspective, different market surveys and assessments have been carried out in order to design a brand positioning, segment and select the possible new markets and customers, and define the commercial strategies and specific actions with which to achieve the targets envisaged and set in the plans.

On the other hand, and in terms of the customs and border inspection services, 4 sessions were held of the Customs and Border Inspection Forum in 2020. The Forum is made up of representatives from terminals, Agriculture & Fisheries, Animal Health, Exterior and Customs and it is where the matters and incidents of greatest concern for the port operations and the authorities in charge of inspections are discussed, in order to search for the best solutions through coordination and consensus between the institutions and companies that generate the activity and wealth around the port.

HuelvaPort

The Association for the Commercial Promotion of the Port of Huelva, HuelvaPort, founded in July 2015 and which had 51 partners in 2020, took part along with Huelva Port Authority in 54 commercial actions and events during the year, the majority of which were held virtually, due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

During those virtual meetings, the HuelvaPort Technical Office and the APH Commercial Department continued to disseminate the evolutions and new projects underway at the Port of Huelva, along with its infrastructures and services, including regular shipping lines provided by the shipping companies operating container vessels to northern European and the Canary Islands, along with the passenger and RO-RO freight ferries to the islands, along with the supply of land, liquid and solid bulk traffic, the project cargo and the sustainable cold logistics hub.

As regards the participation of HuelvaPort and Huelva Port Authority at in-person events, special mention should be made of the attendance with own stand for the first time to the Agroexpo International Fair in Don Benito (Badajoz) in January, where a session was organised to present the Port to the Extremadura production fabric. Furthermore, they also attended the Fruit Logistics international fair in Berlin (Germany) to be in contact with shipping companies, freight forwarders, logistics companies and exporters/importers of the horticulture sector. In the field of efficient use of energy, HuelvaPort worked with Huelva Port Authority to organise a CEPSA/KLIMFORT session at the Port of Huelva on how to enhance companies' competitiveness by means of a sustainable strategy.

As regards the HuelvaPort organisational chart, special mention should be made of the election at the start of 2020 of the new Management Board, headed by Antonio Ponce as Chair of the Association for the Commercial Promotion of the Port of Huelva. Antonio Ponce had previously been the Chair of the Huelva Chamber of Commerce and of the Andalusian Chambers of Commerce Council, as well as having headed the Huelva Business Federation.

On the other hand, HuelvaPort offered its different members online training actions organised by the Huelva Chamber of Commerce as part of the FOCOMAR project, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) by means of the Interreg V-A Spain - Portugal Programme (POCTEP) 2014-2020, in conjunction with Huelva Port Authority. The training plan involved four seminars held in November and December. The actions covered Service Suppliers and Auxiliary Companies of the Maritime Sector; International Freight Transport: Procurement, Documentation and Agents; Technical English Seminar: “Focus on the development of corporate competitiveness in maritime trade”, and International Trade and Customs Management: 2021 Procedures and New Aspects.

As regards the Border Inspection and Customs Forum of the Port of Huelva, convened by HuelvaPort and Huelva Port Authority every three months, three online sessions were held this year between June and December, as the session planned for March was cancelled due to the COVID-19 protocol.

The ceremony for the Huelva Logistics Prizes was held for the first time in 2020. The awards went to four companies, which have developed innovative and improvement projects in logistics, along with contributing to modernising and streamlining their activities for the logistics sector in general, due to their contribution to the whole chain. The Business Innovation Prize went to a company that has modernised its operations thanks to an innovative project. Yilport Huelva, the company running the South Wharf terminal at the Port of Huelva, was awarded the prize for business innovation. The Sustainable Growth Initiative Prize, in recognition of a business growth and environmentally-friendly project was awarded to Transromán and Termisur Eurocargo. The Logistics Excellence Prize was awarded to E4efficiency, a spin-off of the Enagás S.A. group, for with southern refrigerated eco-logistics project. The project was entered in conjunction with Ariema, a technology spin-off of the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) and a benchmark in Spain in fuel batteries and hydrogen technologies, based in Madrid and Huelva.

At the end of 2020, the II HuelvaPort Logistics Prizes were convened and the award ceremony is scheduled for 2021.

Passenger traffic: tourist cruise liners

Huelva Port Authority along with HuelvaPort continued with its commercial action plan for the cruise section in the new scenario as the result of the pandemic, with the aim of the Port of Huelva being included as a port of call and thus contributed to the city's tourist and economic development.

Given the new strategy adopted by the APH's Commercial Department, where due to the large increase in regular commercial shipping (mainly Ro-Ro and container general freight) on the South Wharf and therefore the mooring of cruise ships cannot be guaranteed there with the anticipation that Industry requires, the commercial actions have been aimed at attracting small cruise ships and mega-yachts whose fleet is compatible with the characteristics and conditions to use the Levant Wharf, particularly regarding draught and length (currently a maximum of 6m and 200m, respectively).

Furthermore, the project to remodel and fit out the wharf in question, which envisages a new cruise terminal and a marina with different leisure areas, has helped to foster the Levante Wharf as the main berthing for cruise ships and mega-yachts, in order to attract and consolidate possible shipping lines/business and boost Huelva and its province as a tourist destination, thus achieving, greater Port-City integration that allows the cruise passenger to walk into the city.

This new approach that was already in place in 2019 and was widely welcomed by the shipping lines, were hindered in 2020 due to the world crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, when the shipping companies stopped or restricted their routes. The number of vessels using Huelva as a port of call therefore dropped significantly. The Levante Wharf, which was scheduled to be used by 17 cruise ships in 2020, ended up with 2 vessels with a total of 934 passengers calling in. Saga Cruises and Croisi Europe were among the shipping lines using it as a port of call. Thanks to the latter and its vessel La Belle de Cadix, the Port of Huelva was the first Spanish port to welcome a cruise ship after the start of the pandemic.

As regards attendance at the sector's events, during 2020, the Port of Huelva and HuelvaPort were present at the FITUR tourism trade fair in Madrid and at the Clia Executive Partner Conference in London prior to the State of Alarm. Furthermore, in October, they also attended in person the CITCA Suncruise conference in Seville, which positioned the port as an Andalusian brand and a benchmark in southern Europe.

After the State of Alarm came into force, the commercial strategy shifted to virtual events, with a total of 26 webinars and online events, such as the Seatrade Cruise Virtual and meetings with representatives of cruise lines, including Seadream, Ritz Carton and Crystal Cruises, in which Huelva Provincial Tourism Board took part in conjunction with the Port of Huelva.

Expenditure on the commercial promotion of the port (I_31)

Commercial expenditure on Huelva Port 2020	286,009.89€
Operating expenditure on Huelva Port 2020	43,994,161.33€
Percentage in relation to operating expenditure	0.65%