The Board of Directors of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands has approved a port ordinance aimed at improving the quality of water in its ports, published in BOE no. 64 of March 15, 2025. The standard expressly prohibits the use of open cycle exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubbers) within port waters, and requires them to operate in closed or hybrid mode, sending the waste to authorized facilities on land.
This initiative is framed in the strategic objectives of sustainability and reduction of the environmental impact of port activity, and finds its legal basis in the Consolidated Text of the Law on State Ports and the Merchant Navy (RDL 2/2011), as well as in the applicable environmental regulations, including the MARPOL Convention and Royal Decree 817/2015 on surface water quality.
The ordinance stands out for its preventive approach and for applying the precautionary principle in the face of possible cumulative effects of pollutants that have not yet been fully evaluated, in especially sensitive marine environments such as those of the Balearic coast. Likewise, it reinforces operational control over ships that call at APB ports, requiring specific declarations and documentary records on the systems used and waste management.
This is a relevant example of port environmental regulation at a local level, with a potential deterrent effect on certain polluting practices, which reinforces the coherence between port planning and the objectives of protecting the marine environment.
