The "travel-lift" of the shipyards in the port of Portimão has not been used for a year to lift boats weighing more than 150 tonnes from the water, which has already led the companies operating there to lose work in a score of trawlers weighing around 300 tons. And the situation is expected to drag on for at least another six months, causing the Portimonse shipyards to lose more work to the North and to Spain.
The problem is that the "travel-lift", a huge vehicle that is used to remove boats from the water and transport them to the shipyard in dry dock, has had the tires almost bursting for more than a year, completely worn out and even with cracks.
The "travel-lift" belongs to the port itself, which was, until yesterday, under the jurisdiction of the Port and Maritime Transport Institute (IPTM), its use being paid by the shipyard owners.
António Lopes, from Equigesta, the company that normally “lifts” more trawlers at this time in January, when these boats are forced to stop and take the opportunity to do maintenance, he told the Sul Informação that «for a year we have been like this, without being able to use the “travel-lift” for larger boats, and we ended up losing that service. Customers go to Spain or go to the North and we lose all that service».
Joaquim Paulino dos Santos, from Portinave, adds that, thanks to the lack of maintenance on the “travel-lift”, “we have already spent two seasons without being able to work with larger boats”.
If this continues, he guarantees, "we will have to fire people, because the men don't have work." Climbing a boat for repair and maintenance is work for those who «paint, weld, scrape». «There are a lot of people involved in this, but we continue to lose work because the IPTM does not want to spend 200 thousand euros on new tires for the “travel-lift”», laments António Lopes.
Tender for the repair of the "travel-lift" about to be launched, but...
The wait for the shipyards in Portimão could end "soon", but the deadline should not be short enough to save this working season.
O Sul Informação this week contacted the office of the Secretary of State for the Sea, whose press advisor revealed that the Directorate-General for Natural Resources, Security and Maritime Services, entity that recently received the port protection functions that previously belonged to IPTM, «already preparing the tender for the repair of the “travel-lift” in Portimão».
And when will the equipment be fully operational? This will happen "as soon as the legal deadlines are met" for the tender, which will surely take "a few more weeks", replied the same source, assuring that "the procedure has already started".
This guarantee, even more vague as to the terms, does not reassure the owners of the shipyards in the fishing port of Portimão. António Lopes added that, «in relation to five boats, and in order not to lose the service, we ask for a three-month extension», but now the tender «will not take less than six months and I will lose another year of work with the trawlers'.
António Soares, from the companies Rosa Cabral & Soares and Estaleiros de S. Lázaro, guarantees that «in 2013 alone we lost five or six ascents of heavy boats, weighing around 300 tons, and this year we are going along the same path», because the responsible entities "they neither tie nor untie".
For the use of the "travel-lift" to lift boats from the water, shipyards pay between 800 and 900 euros for each operation, an amount that previously reverted to IPTM's coffers and now, in principle, will revert to Docapesca's coffers, public company that since yesterday assumed the jurisdiction of fishing ports and marinas in Portugal.
«Only our two companies, last year, paid around 100 thousand euros to IPTM», recalls António Soares.
For this reason, given the income that the twelve shipyard companies guarantee to the State every year, entrepreneurs find it strange that the area has been subject to lack of maintenance under the former IPTM. It's not just the “travel-lift” having problems, due to the fact that, in 12 years of service, it has never been serviced.
The condition of the interior pavement in the shipyard area is also deplorable, full of holes, making it difficult for the travel-lift loaded with boats to circulate. «In this pile of holes, the “travel-lift” goes here with bumps, liable to cause damage to the boats. If that happens, who pays for this damage? And if the year had more rain, not even the "travel-lift" could pass, because it was mired in the mud», he explained to Sul Informação an employee of another company.
«We are tired of sending letters and emails to IPTM and they don't even give us an answer», guarantees António Lopes, from Equigesta.
“It doesn't matter to us whether the landlord is IPTM or Docapesca. We want them to listen to us and solve the shipyards' problems, so that we can work, create jobs and wealth for the country», vents António Soares.
Comments