The commitment of APS both to the society of which it is a part and to the environment is evident through the various actions that this entity carries out on an ongoing basis and in line with the values of the 2030 Agenda, adopted by the International Organisation of Port Cities (IACP), during the World Cities and Ports Conference in Quebec in June 2018.

The APS seeks to contribute, in this way, to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by addressing the logistics and economic sector to which the port belongs and taking into account economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection.

SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION

The priority objective of the APS, as stated in its Integrated Management Policy, is to be a green, sustainable and intelligent port that acts as a catalyst for the rest of the logistics chain. To achieve this, it bases its environmental strategy on three fundamental axes:

• Digitalisation of the processes and implementation of an intelligent Big Data platform for control and decision-making in the areas of air, water and soil quality, as well as waste management.
• Establishment of SDGs, specifically in terms of energy efficiency, water management, circular economy and partnership building, with specific targets to be achieved in the next five years.
• Decarbonisation of the system and reduction of the carbon footprint, through the convergence of the previous axes.

The EMAS Regulation also helps organizations that adopt it to contribute to the development of the Circular Economy, the Sustainable Development Goals and is a driver for innovation since, by promoting continuous improvement, new targets have to be developed for reducing consumption, using less polluting materials and new process models.

Integrated Management Policy

Sustainability Reports

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT

ECONOMIC GROWTH

Aware of its responsibility towards the society in which it lives and to which it contributes 12.72 % of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 11.16 % of employment in Cantabria, the APS bases its commercial strategy on improving the competitiveness of the industrial fabric, respecting the premise of collective work with the port community and workers and understanding the Port as part of the logistics chain and, therefore, of the industrial process.

The Port of Santander Strategic Plan 2015-2025 addresses how to meet this objective through seven fundamental axes:

• Attraction of new maritime traffic and consolidation of current ones.
• Sustainable and environmentally friendly port management.
• Transportation efficiency with greater intermodality.
• Optimization of the port infrastructure use.
• Rational management of port spaces.
• Referent in the social, cultural and educational fields.
• Promoting industrial and logistic development in Cantabria.

 

PORT-CITY

Maritime front transformation

Since the mid-1980s, the port of Santander has been facing a complex modernization process caused by the displacement of the port's commercial activity towards the inner part of the Bay due to the increase in its traffic, both of goods and passengers. Because of this, the port facilities, built in the twentieth century and located in the center of the city, became obsolete to accommodate modern commercial operations and, influenced by the proximity of the city, began to be provided with port uses that are compatible with the citizens.

In 2011, with the signing of an Interadministrative Collaboration Agreement for the Urban Redevelopment of the Seafront, still in force although under continuous revision, the aim is to face the commercial challenges of the future by increasing the capacity of the port facilities and developing the urban seafront in an integral manner.

A space of 60 hectares, along 5 kilometers, which forms the maritime-port facade of the southern part of the Santander Bay and on which several actions are being developed to achieve a model that serves to reach a consensus on the needs of the different users, demonstrating that the port activities that take place in the area, which generate employment and wealth, are compatible with the citizen's enjoyment of the bay.

The objectives are:

• Promote the improvement of the urban integration of the Port, with an increase in the surface and quality of urban spaces, enhancing the strategy of opening the City of Santander to the sea.
• Promote the consolidation of a strategy to increase the competitiveness of the Port of Santander, to improve its facilities and services, and to develop new infrastructures in a sustainable manner.

Under these conditions, all the urban development actions that are being developed aim to strengthen the business fabric of Cantabria, generate employment and wealth, and place Santander as a tourist reference with its seafront as the main attraction.

Cultural and educational management

Since the mid-1980s, APS has been developing a project for citizen participation and integration which, supported by its own actions, institutional collaborations or patronage, has been fed mainly by cultural and educational activities with the aim of demonstrating its commitment to the city.

At the cultural level, the APS has become an exhibition reference for the city with high quality actions in its exhibition halls. The Palacete del Embarcadero or the Faro de Cabo Mayor Art Center have been the protagonists of Santander's artistic activity for decades and, now joins to them the Sotoliva Shed, recovered for this purpose as one of the actions developed during the celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Port of Santander.

It also has a renovated and modern Documentation Center where many researchers come to consult the extensive material available to the APS. This facility also acts as a depository and distributor of the publications issued by the APS, an instrument of the port's dissemination activities.

Documentation Center

The APS also stands out especially in the development of teaching and R+D+i initiatives such as courses, seminars, workshops and meetings, among which the Ibero-American Course on Ports Technology, Operations and Environmental Management has great relevance.

In addition, in terms of innovation, APS is working with special emphasis on the dynamization and implementation of the Ports 4.0 initiative.

Training and Innovation