Legal framework
The State Port and the Merchant Navy Act seeks to define the port model in accordance with current needs and, above all, provide it with an institutional framework that allows for efficient and non-bureaucratic management.
Among its objectives, the safeguarding of the marine environment, the promotion of coastal navigation and the economic development of maritime transport stand out.
An act that evolves
The current wording of the act dates from 2011. Since its first formulation, it has been adapted to take into account the different needs of each port and allow them to provide their services efficiently and effectively with business criteria. But there have also been changes in legislation to adapt to the globalisation of the economy and trade; or the consolidation of the community’s internal market and the development of a common transport policy.
New realities
Ports have had to adapt to an increasingly open environment with major technological changes, as well as the liberalisation of the transport services market. All this has been reflected in greater inter-port competition to attract traffic both nationally and internationally, a rivalry within the ports themselves between the different service providers and the incorporation into port management of the public-private collaboration model.
