1.9 Institutional communication

Stakeholders (I_25)

The stakeholders identified by the Huelva Port Authority are as follows:

Port Customers and Users

These are the agents that contribute to the development of port activity in all its dimensions: logistics, industrial, commercial and services, and are classified as follows:

• End Clients
• Consignees
• Shipmasters
• Dealers
• Freight Concessionaires
• Fishery concessionaires
• Stevedores
• Service Providers
• Towage
• Customs Agents
• Institutions/Administrations
• Huelva Port Association

Social sectors of influence

• University
• Administrations
• Neighbourhood Associations
• School Community
• Trade Unions
• Entrepreneurs
• The media
• Other groups (cultural and sports associations, professional associations, charities and non-governmental organisations, etc.).

Communication with stakeholders (I_26)

The Historical Archives of the HPA, located in the Port Authority’s Reception and Documentation Centre, and which depend organically on the General Secretariat, received a total of 6,700 queries in 2023, of which 2,900 were made by researchers and 3,800 by internal HPA agents.

The Department of Communication and External Relations has carried out external communication actions through the dissemination of press releases, the organisation of public meetings and participation in conferences and events aimed at reinforcing the image of the Huelva Port.

Throughout the year, a total of 98 press releases were published to disseminate the main actions and projects carried out by the Huelva Port Authority during the year.

Progress has continued to be made in social media strategies,reinforcing communication through the HPA profiles on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Youtube. In the past year, the contents of the institutional Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts of the Presidency have been integrated into the HPA profile, in order to give it greater informative weight through a single institutional profile.

The Huelva Port’s social networks disseminate news and contents that serve to promote the creation of a community around the Huelva Port, within the strategic line as a sustainable, environmental, economic and social port that is innovative and digitalised, and disseminating the growth projects of the Huelva Port in the logistics, industrial and port areas.

The total number of followers in 2023 has risen to 30,546 users, which implies a growth of 2,167 new followers, distributed on Facebook: +547 followers, with a total of 12,132; Instagram: +451 followers, with a total of 3,631; Twitter (X): +339 followers, with a total of 6,491; LinkedIn: 830 followers, with a total of 8,292 followers. In addition to this community of followers, there are also YouTube followers, with 103 more subscribers, making a total of 489.

In relation to the themes disseminated by the Communication Department of the Huelva Port Authority, the 150th Anniversary has played a major role and has permeated all the information disseminated and all the public events that have taken place.

In January, a pioneering action protocol was signed with PORTNET to strengthen relations with the ports of Morocco in the technological, commercial and operational fields. The Huelva Port was once again at FITUR, where it presented the new passenger terminal to attract potential users of the Huelva-Canary Islands lines and the remodelling project of the Muelle de Levante. The balance of total port traffic was very positive, closing the year with a total throughput of more than 32.1 million tonnes. In January, work began on a new double ro-ro ramp for berthing ships, with an investment of more than 19.4 million euros.

In February, the Huelva Port hosted the 1st Conference of Businesswomen and Socially Committed Women from different fields to publicise their challenges and achievements. On this day, the model Laura Sánchez presented a promotional video of the 150th anniversary of the Port under the slogan ‘The heart of the city is in the port’.

In March, the northern extension of the South Wharf was inaugurated, the Ciudad del Marisco began its activity, the Levante Wharf remodelling project was presented and the Strategic Plan 2023-2030 with a vision for 2050 was approved at the last Board of Directors meeting chaired by Pilar Miranda. A conference entitled ‘Women’s Perspective in Nautical and Cruise Tourism’ also took place.

In April, the Huelva Port streamlined the management of ship calls and the movement of goods with the implementation of the new DuePort window. In May, the Huelva Port took a further step towards positioning itself as a reference in liquid bulk traffic with the award of the contract for the drafting of the project for a new terminal. In June, Renfe, Adif and the Huelva Port signed a protocol at the SIL in Barcelona for the implementation of a Railway Motorway between Huelva and Madrid. On29 June, a direct connection with Morocco was launched at the South Wharf, after the start-up of a new Mediterranean-Huelva-Casablanca-Mediterranean container line of the MCI shipping company.

In July, the Lonja de la Innovación was awarded its first star as FIWARE iHub at the International Congress in Vienna on its anniversary. The works for the cold pipeline that will connect Enagás with the Cold Logistics Hub of the Huelva Port were also put out to tender.

In August, the presidents of the port authorities of Andalusia visited the exhibition dedicated to the ports and the 150th Anniversary of the Huelva Port during the Fiestas of Columbus together with the mayoress of the city.

In September, the 2nd Conference on Environmental Sustainability and Port Management was held with a multidisciplinary panel of more than 40 national and international experts.

In October, the Huelva Port took part in the Fruit Attraction exhibition, where it gave a presentation on its range of services and connectivity for the fruit and vegetable sector. This month, the Port began the last phase of the demolition process of the old fish and seafood exporters’ warehouses on the Muelle de Levante. In the cruise sector, the luxury cruise ship Island Sky docked for the first time. On 10 October, the remodelling of the area around the Columbus Monument was inaugurated, after it became an open and accessible space for the city. On the other hand, a strong rain and wind storm destroyed more than 60% of the 800 pine trees on the Paseo de la Ría. A total of 157 CSR projects benefited from the port-city resolutions awarded by the Huelva Port.

In November, the Huelva Port hosted the annual Short Sea Shipping Conference (SSS) to discuss new trends in logistics chains. In December, the Christmas switch-on of the Huelva Port was celebrated with a large number of people. In mid-December, the ‘Port Day’ was held to mark the culmination of the events celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Port and the presentation of special mentions to Puertos del Estado, AIQBE and the Food Bank.

In mid-December, ‘Port Day’ was celebrated, which culminated the events celebrating its 150th anniversary.

In relation to internal communication, the actions implemented through the various instruments already in place and in operation have been consolidated:

1. Cascade communication, transferring and organising HPA information from the management and the presidency to the different areas of responsibility, and from there to all work teams, so that in a short time everyone is aware of the content of the information.
2. Internal communications.
3. Inclusion of updated content on the website from each of the HPA’s areas of responsibility, with new sections relating to the 150th Anniversary commemorative events, ROUTE 1400, Logistics Activities Zone, Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and Commitment to Equality. All of them are highlighted on the entity’s landing page.
4. Employee portal as a tool for the management of the Port Authority’s Human Resources and to help its employees from the point of view of Internal Communication.
5. SharePoint of the Integrated Management System (SIG) which, in addition to offering access to all the documentation of the System, has a news channel where news related to the SIG is replicated along with an open form for the collection of ideas and/or suggestions from HPA staff.
6. Port Authority Publications. The publications that the Port Authority publishes: Statistical Report, Sustainability Report, The Port in Figures, Tide Tables, and others, can be downloaded from the website, which is an important corporate information tool.
7. Annual newsletter that is distributed to all internal and external audiences of interest to the HPA in order to keep them up to date with the latest news about the organisation.
8. Social media rating reports. A tool for measuring the behaviour of the audience on the internet in the different social networks and their interaction with the news and current affairs of the Huelva Port. Through these statistics, it is possible to identify the interests and demands of citizens, as well as the contents that reflect greater or lesser interest and the most shared formats.
9. This year, presentations were made on the Strategic Plan for the Huelva Port 2023-2030 with a vision for 2050.
10. This year, the first visits to the Huelva Port facilities for workers and their families took place, the aim being to continue with them. This internal communication activity responds to the provisions of the Strategic Plan for the Huelva Port 2023-2030 with a vision for 2050, including strategic axis 3, which defines the Huelva Port as a sustainable, environmental, economic and social port that is digitalised and innovative, includes the need to “strengthen the commitment to people and society”. As part of this objective, operational objective 2.2 establishes the importance of “achieving a cohesive team with renewed profiles”.

This year, the first visits to the Port of Huelva facilities were made for workers and their families.

Main concerns of stakeholders (I_27)

Through the social networks, the Huelva Port Authority has reinforced feedback with users by promptly responding to suggestions and complaints from citizens once the Communication Department has consulted with the corresponding areas of responsibility. In addition, work has also continued on the suggestions channel on the website and the Huelva Port Authority’s own Registry. All these tools are helping the community of citizens around the Port to perceive that there is an active listening process for their demands, which is helping to consolidate the image of a port that is neighbourly and receptive.

Coordination and collaboration projects with other administrations (I_28)

Collaborations were formalised in 2023 with other entities as part of the opening up of the Huelva Port to the city, reinforcing the institutional role that the Huelva Port Authority has acquired in the social sphere of Huelva. This link is demonstrated by these new collaborations with citizens’ organisations and groups, which are added to the already existing network of good relations with the different administrations, at state, regional, provincial and local level, reflected in the joint projects they develop and in the decisive support they give to other activities that they promote.

Likewise, the agenda of institutional and business meetings has continued, which has led to the strengthening of links with the social and business fabric of our environment. Likewise, after the inauguration of the President of the Huelva Port, institutional meetings and visits to different companies in the port community were held.

Technical or business associations that the Huelva Port Authority belongs to (I_29)

The importance of the Huelva Port as an engine of the provincial economy, its concern for the environmental management of port activity and the importance of the Port-City action programme have led the Huelva Port Authority to become a member of several technical and business associations.

At the provincial level:

• Onubense Federation of Employers.
• HuelvaPort.

At the regional level:

• Suncruise Andalusia. This is an association for the promotion of cruise traffic in the ports of Andalusia. All commercial activity towards the cruise segment is to be channelled through this association and membership of other associations of a more international nature shall be abandoned.
• Red Logística de Andalucía, created as an alternative for safer and more sustainable transport in our community and the management of logistics centres.

At the national level:

• Technical Association of Ports and Coasts (ATPYC). Technical and scientific association to promote technological progress in the field of ports and coasts, fostering a common culture among professionals in these areas.
• Spanish Association for the Promotion of Shortsea Shipping. Partnership for the development of competitive multimodal transport chains with relevant participation of the maritime mode. The Huelva Port Authority has been a member of the Board of Directors of this association since 2021, through a seat held by the Head of the Business Development and Commercial Department, Mr. Jaime Manuel Beltrán Sanz
• ACE (Spanish Shippers’ Association). This association has been recognised by the Directorate General for Transport of the Ministry of Public Works as a representative company of the most important loading companies in Spain.
• ACTE: The Association of Transport and Logistics Centres of Spain, of which the ZAL of the Huelva Port is a member, aims to develop and promote collaborative relations between the Transport and Logistics Centres located in Spain, promoting the development of same and providing logistics and planning systems that contribute to the improvement of their facilities and services with the special promotion of intermodality, environmental protection and sustainable development.
• Spanish Transport Association: the European Transport, Logistics and Mobility Association is made up of organisations from all areas of the transport, logistics and mobility sector. Its mission is to promote knowledge, research, modernisation and professionalisation of the transport sector, as well as professional networking.

At the level of the Iberian Peninsula:

• Iberian Association of Natural Gas for Mobility (GASNAM), created in April 2013 with the aim of promoting the use of natural gas in mobility, both terrestrial and maritime, in all sectors of economic activity in the region. In 2020, the HPA joined the Board of Directors, having been elected as a member of the Maritime Section of the Board. The shipping company Balearia, a good client of the Huelva Port, has also joined the Board of Directors in the Maritime Section as a member. The Association provides relevant data for the commercial monitoring of activities such as LNG bunkering, fleet development of ships and gas-powered trucks. It participates in working groups within the association.

At international level:

• PIANC. Association, with headquarters in Brussels, created to promote, at international level, development in the design, construction, improvement, maintenance and operation of inland and maritime waterways, ports and coastal areas. Spain is represented by the ATPYC.
• IAPH. International Association of Ports and Harbors. Association, headquartered in Tokyo, for the development of international frameworks for the common interests of port activity.
• ESPO. Promotes the common interests of its members throughout Europe and also in dialogue with European stakeholders in the port and maritime sector.
• MedCruise. An association for the promotion of cruise traffic in the ports of the Mediterranean and its adjacent seas.
• Chemical Parks in Europe (ECSPP). Promotes new investments in integrated, innovative and competitive chemical clusters and industrial complexes in Europe.
• RETE. An international non-profit association that aims to promote and facilitate dialogue and coexistence between ports and cities, in order to improve port activities and the quality of life of port cities and their territorial, economic, social, cultural and environmental surroundings.

The importance of the Port of Huelva as an engine of the provincial economy has meant that the Port Authority of Huelva belongs to various associations of a technical or business nature.