Palma is the first Spanish port in the Mediterranean to have a system of electrical connection which entails zero emissions from ships while they are docked.
Referred to as 'cold ironing', this allows all ship's engines to be switched off but still enables continuous electrical power while the ship loads and unloads. Main engines normally are switched off, but auxiliary engines continue to run, and it is these which are the primary source of emissions while in port. They are also noisy; cold ironing means that there is no engine noise.
A European Commission delegation was in Palma recently to evaluate the system that has been installed at the port and to assess results for the ship which has been the test for the system - the Baleària ferry, Eleanor Roosevelt. The evaluation was positive. Baleària's director of institutional relations, Antoni Mercant, says that "there are zero emissions". "It is the future, as this will allow us to have environmentally sustainable ports."
The State Ports, of which Palma is one, have a plan to eliminate air and noise pollution. In this regard, Palma is a pioneering port in the Mediterranean.