Portugal
November 2008
SHIPPING REVIEW
TRAFFIC The port handles the majority of the country's fuel imports at
Portugal has five major ports with excellent deep sea and its liquid bulk, petrochemical and LNG terminals. There are
shortsea connections. The Portuguese port sector is under the also facilities to handle containers, ro/ro and multipurpose
aegis of the Ministry for Public Works, Transport & vessels.
Communications, more specifically the Secretary of State for
Transport. Within this the Port & Sea Transport Institute are Investment in Infrastructure
charged with responsibility for investment policy and tariffs, Back in 2000, the Government of Portugal implemented a port
and co-ordination of strategic planning. strategy programme to enhance and improve the
competitiveness, quality and productivity in national ports and
Short-sea Shipping Links to increase operational efficiency. The funding for this
Although there are only a few shortsea services between programme came from the private sector as well as national
Portugal and Ireland, these are longstanding and successful government and was supported by EU money. Over the period
shortsea links. Two operators run services from Ireland to ports 2000-2006, the EU allocated €3.2bn for investment in
in Portugal on a looped route, linking Ireland to southern Portugal’s maritime-port sector. The funding was provided to
Europe and the Mediterranean. Grace Church (Jenkinson enable Portugal to upgrade its infrastructure, restructure and
Agencies) offers a service every 10 days to Leixões on a loop to modernise its technologies/communication systems, develop its
the Mediterranean and the Middle East. MSC has a weekly logistical capacity and become an integral part of the Trans-
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feeder service between Dublin and Antwerp, which joins its European Transport Network
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. The objective was to provide a
Mediterranean loop service with a main call at Leixões in more efficient infrastructure to meet business needs, and
Portugal. Between 2004 and 2007 this was a direct service. The enhance integration in inter-modal connections. This investment
call at Antwerp also meets with MSC's deep sea services. The in the port infrastructure is now being realized at terminals
fice
feeder vessel departs Dublin on a Sunday and arrives in across the country.
Antwerp on a Tuesday, and has a capacity of 880TEU’s.
Although MacAndrews do not have a direct shortsea service Following on from a period of investment during 2000-2006
between Ireland and Portugal, they do provide an intermodal the Port of Lisbon announced, in 2007, its new strategic plan.
link via the port of Bilbao. The service carries goods from The plan sets out the vision for the port over the next 10 years
Portugal via road and rail connecting with their twice weekly and highlights key areas where investment and expansion will
shortsea service from Bilbao to Dublin. take place. In April of this year the Portuguese Government
presented the NovaAlcântara project with an investment of
Port Facilities €407mn to improve road and rail links. More significant,
All Portuguese ports offer high quality infrastructure both in however, is the expansion of the Alcântara Container Terminal
the port and in the surrounding hinterland with excellent which will add a further 650,000 TEU capacity to the port by
connections. As the Portuguese coastline is dominated by the 2013 allowing for the largest container ships to be handled.
Atlantic, all the major ports of Leixões, Sines and Lisbon
benefited from their geographic location, accessible to the main The ports of Leixões, Sines and Setubal are also making
Atlantic commercial routes and short-sea connections to other significant investments in infrastructures. In 2004 the Port of
EU nations. Leixões' Strategic Development Plan was approved, it set out a
10 year plan to improve the ports competitiveness. At present a
Lisbon is the main hub port for cargos from Europe to Portugal. number of the phases have been completed including the
It is a multifunctional port handling all types of cargoes dredging of the channel to 12m, the replacement of a drawbridge
including break bulk, cars, containers (both shortsea and deep allowing for panamax vessels to enter the port and the
sea), dry and liquid bulks, general cargo, grain, iron ore, project construction of a road linking the port to Portugal's motorway
cargoes, fruit and ro/ro traffic. It has one of the largest silo network thus reducing congestion and the environmental effects
facilities with the capability to store 200,000 tons of cereals. of the ports activities.
Port Leixões has the largest seaport infrastructure in the North Recent development at the Port of Sines has seen the enlargement
of Portugal and one of the most important in the country. It has of the PSA-owned container terminal. When complete the
5 km of quays, 55ha of embankments and 120ha of wet area. terminal will have 726m of quay space an increase of 386m
Leixões has excellent road, rail and maritime access and is compared to the original quay. Scheduled for completion in 2011
equipped with advanced information systems for vessel’s traffic the planned 124km highway linking Sines with Beja airport will
control and management. improve Alentejo's logistical and economic capacity. Other
initiatives planned include improvements to the rail links to the
The port of Sines is located on the southwest coast of Portugal, hinterland most notably Madrid.
58 nautical miles south of Lisbon. It is a deepwater port, wide
Irish Maritime Development Of
open to the sea with no need for dredging. and therefore
capable of facilitating the largest vessels.
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www.strategis.ic.gc.ca
2
www.strategis.ic.gc.ca
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Op.cit
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