1.3 Governance and management quality

Functions and manner in which the governing and management bodies are elected (I_02)

Presidency

The functions and method of election are in accordance with the provisions of Article 31 of the Consolidated Text of the Law on State Ports and the Merchant Navy. The President of the Port Authority is appointed and removed by the competent body of the Autonomous Community, in our case the Governing Council of the Regional Government of Andalusia, at the proposal of the head of the relevant regional ministry, from among persons of recognised professional competence and suitability. The appointment or removal, once notified to the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, is published in the relevant Official Gazette and in the Official State Gazette.

By Decree 107/2023 of 9 May, the Governing Council of the Regional Government of Andalusia appointed Mr Manuel Alberto Santana Martínez as President of the Port Authority of Huelva, an appointment which complied with the publicity requirement set out in Article 31.1 of the Consolidated Text of the Law on State Ports and the Merchant Navy, and was published by ORDER TMA/510/2023, of 17 May, in the Official State Gazette No. 123 of 24 May 2023.

The President shall have the following functions (Article 31):

• To represent the Port Authority and its Board of Directors on a permanent basis in all acts and contracts and vis-à-vis any natural or legal person, whether public or private, in and out of court, without prejudice to the powers of authorisation vested in the Board of Directors.
• To convene, set the agenda, chair and adjourn meetings of the Board of Directors, and direct its deliberations. Meetings may be convened ex officio or at the request of one-fifth of the members of the Board of Directors.
• To establish general guidelines for the management of the Authority’s services.
• Ensure compliance with the regulations applicable to the Port Authority and with the resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors.
• To submit the Business Plan to the Board of Directors, setting out the organisation’s management objectives and operational criteria, as well as draft budgets, plans of action, investment and financing proposals, and annual accounts.
• To authorise expenditure and, jointly with the Director, to order payments or movements of funds.
• To exercise the special powers delegated to them by the Board of Directors.
• Any other powers conferred upon them by law.

They are responsible for ensuring compliance with the obligations that the law imposes on Port Authorities vis-à-vis Puertos del Estado, particularly in relation to provisions and acts whose approval or reporting falls within the remit of the latter, as well as for providing the latter with all information of interest to the state port system.

Management

Its functions as a management body and the method of election are in accordance with the provisions of Article 33 of the Consolidated Text of the Law on State Ports and the Merchant Navy.

The Director is appointed and removed by an absolute majority of the Board of Directors, at the proposal of the President, from among persons holding a higher degree, of recognised professional standing and with at least five years’ experience in port engineering and management.

The Director shall have the following duties (Article 33):

• The day-to-day management of the entity and its services, in accordance with the general guidelines received from the governing bodies of the Port Authority, as well as the submission to the President of the proposed organisational structure of the entity.
• The initiation and processing of administrative proceedings, where this is not expressly assigned to another body, as well as the mandatory issuance of reports on authorisations and concessions, preparing the studies and technical reports on the projects and proposed activities that serve as the basis for these.
• The preparation and submission to the President for consideration and decision of the organisation’s management objectives and operational criteria, draft budgets, plans of action, investment, financing and annual accounts, as well as the organisation’s staffing requirements.

Board of Directors

The election of members is carried out in accordance with Article 30.2 of the Consolidated Text of the Law on State Ports and the Merchant Navy.

Members are appointed by the head of the Regional Ministry responsible for ports within the Regional Government of Andalusia, at the proposal of the public administrations and bodies represented on the Board of Directors. In the case of the General State Administration, the proposal is made by the President of the Public Body Puertos del Estado.

Members are appointed to the Board of Directors for a term of four years and are renewable. Their removal shall be decided by the competent body of the Autonomous Community, at the proposal of the organisations, bodies and entities they represent.

The functions of the Board of Directors are those set out in Article 30.5 of the Consolidated Text of the Law on State Ports and the Merchant Navy.

Structure of the Board of Directors (I_03)

Following the restructuring of the Board of Directors under Act 33/2010 of 5 August, the Autonomous Community of Andalusia enacted Decree 2/2011 of 11 January for the appointment of members of the governing bodies of the Port Authorities of ports of general interest located in Andalusia, in accordance with the powers legally established for this purpose. This was published in the Official Gazette of the Regional Government of Andalusia on 25 January 2011.

At a meeting held on 5 April 2011, the Board of Directors of Huelva Port Authority was constituted under the new configuration resulting from the restructuring of its organisation. This entailed a significant reduction in the number of members compared with the previous structure, whilst nevertheless maintaining the same representational framework that had governed the distribution of the various existing seats up to that point. Thus, the various public administrations—state, regional and local—, and the relevant sectors in the port, economic, trade union and business spheres continue to be represented.

The composition of the Board of Directors is as follows:

• The Presidency, held by the President of the Port Authority.
• One ex officio member, who is the Harbour Master.
• 15 board members:
  • 4 board members. Central Government (including the Harbour Master)
  • 5 board members. the Autonomous Community (including the Presidency)
  • 4 board members. Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Navigation, business and trade union organisations, and relevant economic sectors within the port area
  • 1 board member. Huelva City Council
  • 1 board member. Municipality of Palos de la Frontera

In addition, the Director and the Secretary sit on the Board in an advisory capacity. The composition of the Board as at 31 December 2025 is as follows:

Management and support systems (I_04)

Huelva Port Authority certified its Integrated Quality and Environmental Management System in accordance with ISO 9001 and 14001 standards, with the scope of “General services, as defined within the regulatory framework of the state port system and management of the port public domain” in 2020. In June 2025, the renewal of this certification was approved for the next three years.

With regard to Occupational Health and Safety management, Huelva Port Authority has contracted an external prevention service covering the following occupational safety specialisms or disciplines: industrial hygiene, ergonomics, applied psychosociology and occupational medicine, including medical health surveillance.

Since 2018, Huelva Port Authority has implemented a Railway Safety Management System as a regulatory requirement, given its role as the administrator of railway infrastructure within the General Network (Royal Decree 810/2007 of 22 June, approving the Regulations on traffic safety on the General Interest Railway Network, subsequently repealed by Royal Decree 929/2020 of 27 October on railway operational safety and interoperability).

Steering Committee (I_05)

The Management Committee is designed as a tool to ensure the effectiveness of governance and the proper conduct of the Port Authority’s day-to-day management, particularly in relation to matters of significant importance or those requiring coordinated interdepartmental handling.

Furthermore, it undertakes the periodic review of progress and proposals arising during the implementation of the established port planning objectives, agreeing on any adjustments or revisions to those aspects it deems appropriate in order to achieve the intended objectives.

The Management Committee comprises the President and the Director; the Deputy Director/Secretary General; the area heads of Economic and Financial; Infrastructure; Operations; and Business Development and Commercial; as well as the heads of the departments of Planning, Internal Control and Management Systems; Human Resources and Labour Relations; Port Public Domain; Technology and Information Systems; Communication and External Relations; and Sustainability and Energy Transition. Management Committee meetings are usually held fortnightly.

Sector technical committees that support the Board (I_06)

In accordance with the provisions of the new Rules of Composition and Operation, approved by the Board of Directors of Huelva Port Authority at a meeting held on 31 May 2012 (Official Gazette of the Province of Huelva No. 123, of 27 June 2012) and following the completion of the appointment procedures for its members, the Navigation and Port Council of Huelva Port Authority has, since that date, been performing its functions as an advisory body to the Presidency of the Port Authority and the Harbour Master’s Office. These functions had been almost entirely suspended since 2000, during which time only one of its committees remained active, the Navigation Committee, which took over the functions of the Port Services Committee.

The Navigation and Port Council has adjusted its composition following the recommendations of State Ports to ensure updated and appropriate representation for the present time.

The Navigation and Port Council of the Port Authority met for the first time following the restructuring of its organisation on 7 November 2012. At that first meeting, it was proposed that the Port Services Committee, referred to in Article 124 of the Consolidated Text of the Law on State

Ports and the Merchant Navy, be established within it, and from that moment onwards it began to assume the functions legally assigned to it regarding the conditions for the provision of port services. In 2020, the Navigation and Port Council adapted its composition in line with the recommendations made by Puertos del Estado to bring its representation up to date. The new structure was published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Huelva No. 126, dated 6 August 2020. Furthermore, during 2021, the Association of Naval and Oceanic Engineers requested to join the Navigation and Port Council, on the grounds that there would be no objection to a representative of that body joining the representation of the main clients operating through the Port of Huelva, given the close links between naval engineering professionals and the port sector.

In the 2025 financial year, the Navigation and Port Council met on 11 November and the Port Services Committee met on 29 July and 17 November.

Following the aforementioned adjustments and restructuring, the Navigation and Port Council was constituted according to the following representation:

In turn, the Port Services Committee was established following the aforementioned adaptation with the following representation: