Stakeholders (I_25)
The stakeholders identified by the Port Authority of Huelva are as follows:
Port Customers and Users
These are the stakeholders that contribute to the development of port activity in all its dimensions: logistics, industrial, commercial and services, and are classified as follows:
- End Clients
- Brokers
- Ship’s Masters
- Dealers
- Freight Concessionaires
- Fishmonger dealers
- Stevedores
- Service Providers
- Pilots
- 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 sporting associations, professional associations, charities and non-governmental organisations, etc.).
Communication with stakeholders (I_26)
The APH Historical Archive, located in the Port Authority’s Reception and Documentation Center and organically dependent on the General Secretariat, received a total of 6,830 queries during 2024, of which 2,950 were made by researchers and 3,880 by internal APH queries.
The Department of Communication and External Relations has implemented external communications through the dissemination of press releases, the organisation of public announcements and participation in conferences and events, aimed at reinforcing the image of the Port of Huelva.
Throughout the year, 74 press releases were published to disseminate the main actions and projects carried out by the Port Authority of Huelva during the year.
Progress has continued to be made in the social media strategy, reinforcing communication through the APH profiles on social networks, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. The Port of Huelva’s social networks disseminate news and content that serve to promote the creation of a community around the Port of Huelva, within the strategic line as a sustainable, environmental, economic and social port; innovative and digitalised, as well as disseminating the Port of Huelva’s growth projects in the logistics, industrial and port areas.
The total number of followers in 2024 has risen to 34,924 users, which implies a growth of 3,889 new followers, distributed on Facebook: +954 followers, with a total of 13,086; Instagram: +453 followers, with a total of 4,084; Twitter (X): +165 followers, with a total of 6,656; LinkedIn: 2,237 followers, with a total of 10,529. In addition to this community of followers, there are also those on YouTube, with 80 more subscribers and a total of 569.

January saw the culmination of some of the events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Port of Huelva. At the beginning of the month, an ONCE coupon dedicated to this event was presented. As usual, the Port of Huelva attended FITUR once again this year. In the field of new projects, the project for the largest green methanol plant, promoted by Cepsa and C2X, was presented at the Casa Colón. The Lonja de la Innovación hosted the presentation of the grants from the Ports 4.0 fund of the public body Puertos del Estado. Also in this first month of the year, the 1st National Green Hydrogen Congress was held in Huelva and the first stone was laid for the Cepsa and Bio Oils biofuels plant.

In February, 139 parking spaces were opened in the vicinity of the Columbus Monument as part of the port-city integration project. In the balance sheet presented for the previous year, the high number of concessions and authorisations for public port space stood out, exceeding four million square metres. In terms of tonnage traffic, the year ended with 30 million tonnes. As for the Board of Directors of the Port, it awarded the construction and operation of the ZAL to the only bid submitted.
In March, the drafting of the project for the car park and the underground routing of Avenida de Hispanoamérica, prior to the remodelling of the Muelle de Levante, was put out to tender. Meanwhile, the Lonja de la Innovación hosted a talk on entrepreneurship by Chef Ferran Adrià, Telefónica’s ambassador.
In April, the Port of Huelva and the Junta de Andalucía signed an agreement for the integrated coordination of the port emergency services and the 112-Andalucía emergency system. In terms of improving communications, it supported the manifesto for the Faro-Huelva-Seville high-speed railway line. During a meeting, the Port-City Commission discussed the mobility needs and the important milestones of the last few weeks in the major project for the remodelling of the Muelle de Levante, which will transform the image of Huelva.

In May, the Port of Huelva received the international ‘Working with Nature’ award in South Africa, awarded by the PIANC Association, for its management of dredging with environmental benefits. This month the exhibition ‘INTA in Huelva, an aerospace future. Spaceport since 1966’ was organised, displaying satellites, rockets and drone prototypes.
The month of June saw the inauguration of the north dock of the Marina del Odiel, an important milestone in the transformation of the Muelle de Levante. The Port of Huelva approved the annual accounts for the last financial year, with a profit of more than 10 million euros. The Andalusian ports promoted a summer course of the UNIA to analyse the role played by the ports in the ‘integrating’ urban planning of the cities.

In July, Baleària and Fred. Olsen Express began its fourth weekly service during the summer between the ports of Huelva and the Canary Islands. As a highlight, the Port-City 2024 Call for Proposals was held, with a total of 176 beneficiary projects.
In September, the Port of Huelva appointed Alfonso Peña as acting director, following the departure of Ignacio Álvarez-Ossorio.

In October, the Innovation Market of the Port of Huelva received its second FIWARE star in Italy. As usual, the company attended the Fruit Attraction exhibition to promote the services of the Muelle Sur as a cold logistics hub to boost fruit and vegetable exports. Likewise, the Port of Huelva was promoted at the International Mining Exhibition as a gateway for copper and other metallic minerals from the region.

In November, the Board of Directors of the Port of Huelva approved the appointment of Alfonso Peña as director of this Huelva institution. On the other hand, the Port of Huelva hosted the Forum ‘Innovation Challenges in Andalusian Ports’ to promote sustainability and digitalisation of the nautical and port sector.
In December, the Port of Huelva celebrated its national day with the presentation of special mentions to the Harbour Master’s Office, Moeve and the Virgen de la Cinta soup kitchen. For its part, the Board of Directors of the Port of Huelva approved the Business Plan for the year 2025, with an investment of 75 million euros. In the field of port-city relations, the Christmas lighting was inaugurated to great public acclaim.
In relation to internal communication, the entity’s Internal Communication Plan was drawn up in line with the guidelines set out in the new Strategic Plan of the Port of Huelva 2023-2030 with a vision to 2050, within which, strategic axis 3, which defines the Port of Huelva as a sustainable, environmental, economic and social port; digitalised and innovative, and includes the need to “strengthen the commitment to people and society”. Within this objective, operational objective 3.3.2 establishes the importance of “achieving a cohesive team with renewed profiles”.
And it is in this last point that, among other actions, the need for the “design, implementation and monitoring of an internal communication plan” is raised, an issue that is also included in line 16 of the state strategic framework in the following terms: “It is vital to implement an internal and external communication plan that promotes integration and teamwork in each organisation and in the system.
Therefore, this document was created with the aim of providing a tool to dynamically articulate those objectives and actions that lead to the cohesion, integration and identification of the staff of the Port Authority of Huelva with the mission, vision and values of the entity. In addition to an initial diagnosis, it includes a series of strategies and actions for improvement that will be monitored on an annual basis.
Main concerns of stakeholders (I_27)
For the first time in 2024, the Port Authority of Huelva has carried out a study on the perception of the image of the entity by the people of Huelva and Palos de la Frontera, as well as the rest of Spain, with excellent results: a 7.8 rating in Huelva and Palos de la Frontera and an overall average rating of 6.72 in the rest of Spain.
This starting point will serve to adjust and direct the communication and CSR actions with the objective of “Strengthening the commitment to people and society” and more specifically that of “Enhancing the positive image of the port in society, and projecting its knowledge in the national and international sector”, as established in the organisation’s Strategic Plan.

On the other hand, using social networks, the Port Authority of Huelva has reinforced communication with users by promptly responding to suggestions and complaints from the public 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 Port Authority of Huelva’s own Registry. All these tools are helping the public community around the Port to feel their demands are being actively heard, and this is helping to consolidate the image of a close and receptive port.
Coordination and collaboration projects with other administrations (I_28)
In 2024, collaborations have been formalised with other entities as part of the opening of the Port of Huelva to the city, reinforcing the institutional role that the Port Authority of Huelva has acquired in Huelva society. 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, as reflected in the joint projects they develop and in the decisive support they give to other activities they promote.

Likewise, the agenda of institutional and business meetings has continued, leading to the strengthening of links with the social and business fabric of our environment.

Technical or business associations that the Huelva Port Authority belongs to (I_29)
The importance of the Port of Huelva 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 Port Authority of Huelva to belong to various associations of a technical or business nature.
At regional level:
- Huelva Port Association – Association of Port Community Companies.
- Onubense Federation of Employers.
At the regional level:
- Suncruise Andalusia. Association formed by all the Ports of General State Interest in Andalusia and those of the Public Ports Agency of Andalusia (APPA), as well as the Port of Ceuta and the Port of Melilla, with the aim of promoting Andalusia as a destination for Cruises and Nautical Sports.
- Andalusia Logistics Network. A set of first class logistics and transport infrastructures promoted by the Regional Ministry of Development, Infrastructures and Territorial Planning of the Regional Government of Andalusia to articulate and logistically integrate the entire Andalusian region thanks to the networked and intermodal operation of its maritime, land, rail and air infrastructures, which facilitates connectivity between the different logistics centres and the different modes of transport, by interconnecting the logistics centres by road and rail. In addition, having connections to the Andalusian commercial ports, this facilitates connectivity between the different logistics centres and the different modes of transport, by interconnecting the logistics centres by road and rail, and having connections to the Andalusian commercial ports, which offer excellent access to intra-European and international markets.
At 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 fields.
- Spanish Association for the Promotion of Shortsea Transport (Shortsea Promotion Centre Spain). Partnership for the development of competitive multimodal transport chains with relevant participation of the maritime mode. Since 2021 the Port Authority of Huelva has been a member of the Board of Directors.
- Spanish Shippers’ Association (ACE). A multi-sector association that brings together the most important loading companies and users of goods transport in Spain, which together represent a large part of the industrial fabric and the distribution of large-scale consumer goods in our country, and account for around 16% of the national GDP. Furthermore, ACE is officially recognised by the Directorate General of Transport of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda of the Spanish Government as the official representative of the Shippers.
- Association of Spanish Transport Centres (ACTE). Association of which the Logistics Activities Zone (ZAL) of the Port of Huelva is a member. Its aim is to develop and promote collaborative relations between the Transport and Logistics Centres located in Spain, promoting their development 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 (AET). 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.
- Spanish Renewable Ammonia Association (AEAR). A multi-sectoral association that promotes the production, marketing and responsible use of renewable ammonia, supporting a sustainable energy economy and contributing to the energy transition. The AEAR’s mission encompasses both the decarbonisation of ammonia for existing applications and the adoption of low carbon ammonia in new applications and involves actors along the entire ammonia value chain. New applications include, among others, the direct use of ammonia as a fuel for power generation or transport (sea, air and land), and the indirect use as a carrier of carbon-free hydrogen.
At the level of the Iberian Peninsula:
- GASNAM-Neutral Transport. Technological platform that encourages the use of renewable gases (biomethane, hydrogen and its derivatives) in mobility in general and, particularly, in land transport by road and rail and in maritime transport, promoting the use of renewable gases as cleaner alternative fuels in all the country’s productive sectors, to support the decarbonisation of the economy and the fight against climate change; taking advantage of the privileged position of the Iberian Peninsula in the sector, which places it at the forefront in Europe in terms of infrastructure and availability of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), as well as its extensive experience in associated logistics and industry; offering innovative solutions for sectors where decarbonisation is a challenge, especially in those transport segments that require high power, autonomy and fast refuelling. It has 160 partners from multiple sectors. Since 2020 the Port Authority of Huelva has been part of the Board of Directors thanks to a seat in the Maritime Section.
Internationally:
- 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 ATPYC.
- IAPH. International Association of Ports and Harbours. Association, headquartered in Tokyo, for the development of international frameworks for the common interests of port activity.
- ESPO. It promotes the common interests of its members throughout Europe and also in dialogue with European stakeholders in the port and maritime sector.
- MedCruise. The Mediterranean Cruise Ports Association promotes the cruise industry and links the ports of the ‘Mare Nostrum’ and its adjacent seas. Established in 1996, through a collaborative agreement between 16 ports in seven different countries, MedCruise’s membership today spans 22 countries and is located on three different continents, Africa, Asia and Europe. MedCruise represents more than 159 ports and 54 associate members.
- 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.
- Docks The Future Network of Excellence – Towards the Port of Tomorrow. European association whose objective is to define “the Port of the Future”, understood as a near future (2030), in challenges related to the simplification and digitalisation of processes, cybersecurity, emissions reduction, energy transition, electrification, new fuels, smart grids, port-city interface and circular economy. With this project, the European Union aims to increase the integration of maritime transport and the ports of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) into the global logistics chain.