The objective is to attract large yachts, works began this Tuesday, January 23rd, but the project for the new Vilamoura Marina goes far beyond that. In the pipeline, there is also the construction of a desalination plant, in order to guarantee water to be used for washing the shipyard, boats and pontoons.
The work on this new marina, which is being built in front of the Vilamoura World offices, close to the Praia da Falésia car park, started with dredging.
In total, 150 to 190 thousand cubic meters of sediment will have to be dredged, which will be deposited at sea, six miles off Vilamoura.
To journalists, Isolete Correia, director of Vilamoura Marina, explained that this material will not be used to fill the beaches because “it is muddy”. The solution was, moreover, found with the Portuguese Environment Agency.
The works also include the extension of the Marina's west jetty and the Quarteira river dike.
In environmental terms, assured Isolete Correia, «everything will be fulfilled», with a favorable Environmental Impact Statement being issued in September, conditioned by the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR).
Dredging must take place by March 31st and the objective is for the new Marina to start operating “on October 1st”.
«Let's hope so, we know it doesn't always go the way we want, but we hope so», said Isolete Correia.
One of the main aspects is also the construction of a desalination plant. The project «is not yet ready», but the director of Vilamoura Marina hopes to have it ready «when the marina is operational».
«It is a project that is in the bugdet this year. We already have some solutions: we went to Boot in Düsseldorf [nautical fair in Germany], which is the most important event because it has all the latest generation equipment, and we brought some ideas from there», said the person in charge.
The objective is to build a «small desalination plant to wash not only the shipyard, but also the vessels and pontoons, because we currently use tap water», he said.
Despite still having no idea “of the capacity” of this infrastructure, Isolete Correia said that “it will not be portable, but fixed” and that she hopes it will be installed “by September”.
Regarding the new Marina, it will have 68 berths for yachts from 20 to 40 meters, distributed across four piers.
«The dream began with necessity. There is a gap for mooring posts for large yachts. People are increasingly moving to bigger boats and they can't dock in Portugal: so they go to Spain», said the Marina director.
Therefore, once the work is completed, which will cost 23 million euros, Vilamoura will also attract (even more) luxury yachts.
The need for quality tourism was, moreover, highlighted by Vítor Aleixo, mayor of Loulé. The mayor considered that the future of tourism in Portugal must involve levels of «great quality and excellence».
Teresa Coelho, Secretary of State for Fisheries, stated that, for Portugal, «it is prestigious to have a marina like this», especially because the project will bring «another type of tourism».
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