Guaranteeing safety in the ports of Valencia, Sagunto and Gandía is a main objective of the Port Authority of Valencia in close collaboration with administrations responsible for police protection, civil protection, fire prevention, rescue operations and the fight against pollution.

Port operations, port services, maintenance and upkeep are all centralised to ensure improved coordination which enables the PAV to reduce accident rates to a large extent. The Emergency Control Centre (ECC) is the tool through which the Port Authority of Valencia undertakes this coordination. The ECC monitors port activities 24/7, 365 days a year. Decisions that need to be made about safety and security issues and the management of emergencies can be taken thanks to the information the Centre has at its disposal.

A series of emergency drills and emergency plan activation exercises are carried out to ensure that the necessary equipment is always ready to be used and that staff are well trained to respond to any adverse situation. These exercises and drills are meticulously planned and prepared and subsequently assessed and updated to ensure that the Port Authority’s staff training and emergency plans are constantly improved.

The PAV has a Self-Protection Plan (PAU) for each of the ports it manages (Valencia, Sagunto and Gandia) to guarantee port safety against accidents. This Plan aims to safeguard human life, minimising damage to property, the surrounding areas and the environment. It also sets out the procedures established to intervene in emergencies, including coordinating all the public and private services needed in any particular incident, accident or emergency that may affect vessels, companies or facilities located in the port, as well as any natural or legal persons carrying out any activity in the port’s service area.

The PAU includes other plans that a port must have to be able to cater for emergencies caused by accidents on board ship, the handling or storage of dangerous goods, pollution incidents on land, at sea and in the air, as well as incidents or accidents on the port’s railway network, should it have one, as is the case of the Port of Valencia.

The Port Authority of Valencia has drawn up some information documents so that those involved have basic information on what action to take in the case of an emergency at the port, including the contact details for the Emergency Control Centre so that they can inform the ECC about the emergency, where appropriate.

From the viewpoint of Port Security, the PAV is regulated by the provisions of all international standards (PBIP Code, Regulation (CE) No. 725/2004, Directive 2005/65/CE, etc.) and national legislation (Act 27/1992, Act 48/2003 modified by 33/2010, Royal Decree 1617/2007, Regulations, Local Laws, etc.) regarding the security of vessels and ports.

The PAV is the security authority in all areas under its management. In addition:

  • It is responsible for drawing up security assessments, plans and procedures for the ports it manages, supervising compliance with the regulations applicable to the terminals under concession, setting up and maintaining the Security Advisory Committees, controlling access, etc.
  • It has security plans in force for the ports of Sagunto, Valencia and Gandía, approved by the Ministry of the Interior, and approves the security plans for the port facilities located in these ports.
  • It also participates in North American initiatives to prevent the illicit trafficking of goods, through the CSI (Container Security Initiative), which consists of a risk analysis of containerised transport.

  • The PAV is the only Spanish port authority with an integral radioactivity detection control in place throughout the port precinct (MEGAPORTS initiative) with detectors at the access and departure gates of the Port of Valencia.