The competition to manage one of the main nautical-sports facilities at the Port of Ibiza reaches another important stage on Wednesday 11 November, when the Balearic Port Authority (APB) is due to hold a new meeting in the concession tender involving Club Náutico de Ibiza and Puertos y Litorales Sostenibles.
The meeting is scheduled for 12:00 at the APB's headquarters in Palma. It comes as the deadline approaches for appointing the next operator of the marina, with the current temporary authorisation for Puertos y Litorales due to expire on 31 December 2026.
Only two companies submitted bids for the concession: the historic Club Náutico de Ibiza (CNI) and Puertos y Litorales Sostenibles, which currently operates the facilities under the Port Nàutic Ibiza brand.
However, the tender has yet to clear an important administrative hurdle. Both bidders were asked to correct deficiencies in their original submissions in September. Although they subsequently delivered additional documentation, the APB had not publicly confirmed whether the corrections had been accepted by the time of the latest announcement.
APB Schedules New Meeting for 11 November
The APB has called the next session for Wednesday 11 November at 12:00 at its offices at Moll Vell 5 in Palma.
The official notice, dated 5 November and sent to the two bidders, identifies the procedure as tender CC-C-I-0006, covering the management and operation of a nautical-sports installation for small and medium-sized vessels at the Port of Ibiza.
The announcement establishes the date and location of the next session, but does not specify which envelopes will be opened or confirm that either candidate has been definitively admitted.
This distinction is important because the procedure remains at the stage of checking whether the administrative documentation submitted by both companies meets the tender requirements.
The meeting is therefore another step in the procurement process, rather than confirmation that the next operator will necessarily be selected on Wednesday.
Two Candidates Competing for the Marina
The tender attracted two offers before the deadline of 7 September 2026.
The first came from Club Náutico de Ibiza, the organisation that operated the facilities for almost a century before losing the concession in the previous tender process.
The second was submitted by Puertos y Litorales Sostenibles, the company that has managed the marina since May 2024 under the Port Nàutic Ibiza brand.
The APB officially confirmed the two candidates on 9 September, when its opening committee reviewed the administrative documentation.
The authority identified deficiencies in both submissions and requested additional documentation before proceeding to the technical evaluation stage.
Questions Over Club Náutico de Ibiza's Application
The Club Náutico de Ibiza faced three documentary issues during the initial review.
The first concerned the provisional guarantee submitted with its application. The document had been presented in handwritten format, and the committee requested that it be provided in the required original format.
The second issue involved discrepancies between two summary tables in the project's financial documentation. One showed an investment figure of approximately €20 million, while another indicated around €3 million. The committee requested clarification about which project budget corresponded to the provisional guarantee.
The third issue concerned the financial backing provided by Club Nàutic Sant Antoni.
The Sant Antoni organisation contributes part of the financial solvency required for the Ibiza club's application. However, the committee identified the absence of a certificate confirming that the supporting organisation was up to date with its payments to the APB.
There is also a separate question over whether Club Nàutic Sant Antoni's governing board had the authority to commit the organisation's financial solvency in support of the bid.
According to La Voz de Ibiza's reporting, the organisation's statutes require certain financial commitments to receive approval from its General Assembly. The newspaper reported that the authorisation had passed through the board of directors, without evidence of approval by the members' assembly.
If the APB determines that the authorisation was not granted by the competent body and that the issue cannot be corrected, the CNI application could face exclusion.
However, no formal administrative decision excluding Club Náutico de Ibiza had been announced as of 10 November.
Puertos y Litorales Also Had to Correct Its Documentation
The current operator, Puertos y Litorales Sostenibles, also received requests to correct two issues in its application.
The first concerned the annual accounts submitted to demonstrate the company's financial solvency. The documentation available to the committee only covered the period up to 31 May 2025, and the authority requested more up-to-date accounts.
The second issue involved the provisional guarantee insurance. The document submitted carried the signature of the company's representative but did not include the signature of the insurance company issuing the guarantee.
The committee requested a corrected document that met the required formal conditions.
Puertos y Litorales subsequently submitted the requested documentation within the deadline, according to the APB's information provided to La Voz de Ibiza.
As with the CNI application, the authority had not publicly confirmed whether the corrections had been accepted.
A Concession Worth Around €20 Million
The tender concerns the management and operation of 33,352.60 square metres of public port domain at the Port of Ibiza.
The concession may last for up to 25 years, with the successful bidder required to undertake an investment programme estimated at approximately €20 million.
The planned investment is divided into two phases.
The first phase represents around €15 million and is expected to be carried out during the first two years of the concession. It includes a comprehensive reorganisation of the marina's water area, construction of a new protective breakwater and renovation of existing buildings.
A second phase, estimated at €5 million, will depend on approval of the Port of Ibiza's Special Plan and will allow further expansion and development of the existing buildings.
The tender is designed to give the facility a stronger nautical-sports focus, particularly in sailing and canoeing.
Sailing, Canoeing and at Least 170 Moorings
The future operator will be required to provide a minimum of 170 berths for vessels measuring between six and 15 metres in length. Up to 15% of these spaces may be allocated to visiting vessels.
The tender also places considerable importance on the development of sporting activities.
The successful concessionaire must establish and develop sailing and canoeing schools, create federated competition teams in both disciplines and organise sporting and recreational events.
The conditions also include financial and logistical support for athletes, alongside educational activities with sporting, social, cultural and environmental objectives.
The APB has made the financial commitment to sporting activities one of the principal criteria for evaluating the bids.
Other services required at the marina include berth management, restaurants, water and electricity supplies, boat repairs, parking and dry storage.
The tender also includes a sustainability requirement: at least 4% of the berths must have charging points for electric boats.
1 January 2027 Deadline Approaches
The timetable is becoming increasingly important because the current temporary authorisation granted to Puertos y Litorales is due to expire on 31 December 2026.
The APB's objective is for the successful concessionaire to take over the marina's operation from 1 January 2027.
For that to happen, the administrative procedure must progress through the remaining stages, including the assessment of the technical proposals and the eventual award of the concession.
The APB must first determine whether the two candidates have adequately corrected the issues identified during the September review.
If both applications are accepted, the competition can proceed with both candidates. If one is excluded, the remaining bid would continue through the relevant procedure, subject to the tender rules.
The Future of One of Ibiza's Main Nautical Facilities
The result will determine who manages an important part of the Port of Ibiza for potentially the next 25 years.
Beyond the commercial operation of the marina, the tender establishes a model that places considerable emphasis on sailing, canoeing, training, competitive sport and support for local athletes.
The historic Club Náutico de Ibiza is seeking to regain the facilities it occupied for almost a century, while Puertos y Litorales Sostenibles is attempting to retain the management it has held since 2024.
With the temporary authorisation approaching its expiry, Wednesday's meeting represents another important procedural step. However, the immediate question remains whether the APB will accept the corrected documentation and allow the candidates to progress to the next stage of the competition.
The final outcome and the identity of the next concessionaire remain unresolved.