The Minister of the Sea took the decision today to allow the Administration of the Ports of Sines and Algarve to start dredging in the River Arade, to eliminate a sand headland in the area between the fishing port, on the left bank, and the riverside area of Portimão , on the right bank.
Reacting to this announcement, Isilda Gomes, mayor of Portimão, told the Sul Informação that the sandbar “has not been dredged for many years”, despite being considered “a real danger to navigation”.
The existence of this sandbank also posed problems for the holding of the Portuguese Grand Prix of the World Championship of Formula 1 in Powerboats, which returns to Portimão on the next 29th and 31st of July, and which uses precisely the water mirror in that area of the Arade estuary.
The event is considered by the Minister Ana Paula Vitorino's Office as not only "relevant for the economy of the region", but also placing "Portugal in the ranking of privileged countries for the realization of major international nautical competitions, with significant impacts on the Economy of the Sea".
«The intervention meets the needs of economic and tourist development of maritime activities, with reflection on the promotion and enhancement of the Algarve destination», adds the Office of the Minister of the Sea, in a statement sent to the newsrooms.
The dredging, which will be carried out "very quickly", as revealed by mayor Isilda Gomes to our newspaper, so that everything is ready in time for the World Championship in Formula 1 Motornautics, will be the responsibility of APS, will cost around 200 thousand euros and involve a volume of up to 25.000 cubic meters of sand to be removed.
While this "emergency intervention" advances, there is still no final decision on the works that will bring larger cruise ships to the port of Portimão, for an estimated amount of €10 million.
The mayor of Portimão guarantees that she has already discussed the matter with the Minister of the Sea, who will be "studying the situation". “Right now, studies are still being carried out by the APS and the tutelage to serve as a basis for taking a decision” on the works in the commercial port.
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