On a daily basis, members of the team, in close collaboration with the Port Police, conduct environmental inspection rounds in the Port service areas in order to control environmental impacts of the activities.
Personnel of the Port Authority of Vigo conduct inspection rounds of the maritime and coastal areas of both sides of the Ría of Vigo. This vessel contributes to the fight against pollution by using absorbent materials, barriers, etc.
Authorizing fuel supplies for vessels either from a tanker truck or a permanent installation
The Port Authority has developed a series of guidelines for prevention and environmental protection. In Vigo, during 2016 more than 75 millions of liters of fuel were supplied.
Authorizing the supply of lubricating oils for vessels
Another daily service in the Port of Vigo is the supply of lubricating oils, including service instructions and an application form. During 2016, more than 1 million of kilos of lubricants were supplied.
Sometimes, clients apply for authorizing small painting and clean-up operations for hulls afloat. The authorization includes the necessary requirements in order to prevent any spill into water during these kind of activities.
Guidelines have been developed for these activities in order to prevent any kind of accidental spill on the surface of the water such as to cover the working area, working only during day, efficient clean-up mechanisms, etc.
The personnel of the Port Authority of Vigo is avaible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in order to react immediately in the case of an pollution incident in the Ría of Vigo. Operations against the pollution caused by hydrocarbon spills, waste water, maritime accidents, etc.
The Port Authority of Vigo has achieved an important reduction of pollution incidents due to the implementation of protocols and instructions aimed at minimizing the impact of any environmental emergency.
Any incompliance of the instructions and/or the pollution of the environment leads to the opening of a disciplinary proceeding by the Port Authority. The importance of conserving the environment is reflected in the increased amount of sanctions over the last years.
The Port Authority of Vigo collaborates permanentely with other institutions such as Campus do Mar, University of Vigo, Ecimat, Meteogalicia, the marine research institute, other research centers such as Cetmar or Aimen in common projects and initiatives regarding environmental and sustainability issues. The Port Authority also supports animal protection associations such as Cemma (Coordinator for the study of marine mammals) with whom we have carried out various research and recovery activities in favor of marine mammals. With regard to the environmental control of the Ría de Vigo, the Port collaborates actively with the Harbor Master, Conselleria do mar, Maritime Rescue or Seprona.
The Port Authority of Vigo has a Maritime Interior Plan that has been developed according the Law RD 1695/2012, de 21 de diciembre, por el que se aprueba el Sistema Nacional de Respuesta ante la contaminación marina, aprobado por la Dirección General de la Marina Mercante el 29 de enero de 2016. The Plan establishes the organizational procedures and duties of the Port Authority of Vigo, the provision of material and human resources, and the operations and monitoring management in the case of marine pollution within the Port’s service area.
Download here the Maritime Interior Plan 2016
The Port Authority supervises the compliance with the respective contingency plans of the concessions in the Port of Vigo, as well as coordinates the anti-pollution operations that these concessionaires have to carry out.
The Port Authority develops and updates the Ship Disposal and Ship Waste Handling Plan (MARPOL waste), which seeks to effectively manage the service of waste reception from ships in the Port of Vigo. In addition, a green dot is available for the selective reception of waste from ships (oily residues, filters, batteries, baits, etc.) Download here the instructions for MARPOL services 
The Port Authority works with all authorizations and concessions in order to meet the requirements established by the new Environmental Laws and Directives, thus achieving a high degree of protection of the Port of Vigo and its surroundings.
The Port Authority performs a direct control over new constructions and projects that are carried out in the scope of the Port of Vigo, verifying that at all times the requirements of the environmental impact assessement (EIA), thus avoiding any type of pollution caused by such works.
The Sustainability Department monitors, records, audits etc. the environmental management and quality systems of the Port of Vigo.
The Sustainability Department of the Port Authority of Vigo has been involved in a number of environmental projects, focusing in recent years on energy efficiency projects, the use of alternative fuels and the reduction of emissions..
