Berta Cabral lays foundation stone for new Lajes das Flores port, an investment of more than 200 million Euros - Communication

Secretaria Regional do Turismo, Mobilidade e Infraestruturas

The Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures, Berta Cabral, chaired today the laying of the foundation stone for the construction of the new Lajes das Flores Port, destroyed by Hurricane Lorenzo in October 2019 and seriously affected by Efrain Depression in December 2022.

The work has a budget exceeding 200 million Euros and was awarded by Portos dos Açores, S.A. According to Berta Cabral, "it is not the culmination of the process but one of the most remarkable moments of recent years. This could only be achieved with a great deal of resilience and unwavering determination on the part of all Flores islanders and the entire Government."

"Today, the page is turned and construction finally begins on what was considered the most important work of the Azorean Government. From the outset, we have made every effort to ensure its technical suitability; to guarantee its funding; and to get it completed as quickly as possible," she stressed.

This work, she continued, "is also living proof of the resilience of a people, regional solidarity and governmental selflessness."

"We have made every political, technical, administrative and financial effort to ensure that the construction of the new port would become a reality, overcoming successive constraints and limitations," he continued.

Berta Cabral stated that the investment in the new Lajes das Flores Port is "a symbol of resilience, ambition and adaptability. The total investment is approximately 230 million Euros, with an award amount of 194.83 million Euros plus VAT. This represents the largest investment ever made in port infrastructure in the Azores.

Scheduled for completion in 2030, the works contract was submitted to the Sustainable 2030 programme, with an eligible amount of more than 197 million Euros, guaranteeing 85% EU funding, totalling around 167.5 million Euros. 

However, it will require an investment of more than 30 million Euros from the Regional Budget over the next five years.

"This is an unprecedented milestone as far as public investment in the Region is concerned and an example of how resources can be mobilised to respond to real and urgent needs," she said.

In this regard, the Regional Secretary expressed her "sincere gratitude to the National Government for the steps taken to unblock the administrative process and, above all, for the solidarity shown in increasing the funding for this project, through the transfer of funds initially allocated to the Central Administration."

She also recalled that the Regional Government "has done everything - and will continue to do so, ensuring that the supply to the islands of Flores and Corvo will remain as normal as possible."

"In addition to the vessel THOR B, which is mainly assigned to Corvo, we have been chartering the vessel Margarethe for several years to ensure logistical support and regular supplies to Flores," she pointed out.

50 million Euros have been invested in various structural works at the Lajes das Flores Port, including the construction of a new jetty and emergency protection.

After the Efrain storm, an emergency protection pier was designed, commissioned and completed for the new jetty, which led to a substantial improvement in the port's operations and a return to some normality in supplies.

In the emergency that occurred last January, SATA and the Portuguese Air Force provided logistical support to ensure the supply of essential goods to the population.

"All of this has been done with a sense of mission, recognising that in crisis scenarios the difficulties are greater and are always felt more intensely by those who experience the situations closely. Maritime freight transport in the Azores is, and always will be, a structural challenge," she said.

For Berta Cabral, "the new  Lajes das Flores Port is vital in this context but it is not the only intervention."

"In the last three years, we have invested more than 168 million Euros in ports and port equipment on all the islands. We have adopted short-term solutions, launched studies into the logistical and procurement model, and set up working groups with shipowners with a view to modernising our supply system," she said.

The works contract in question was awarded to the Tecnovia Açores, Etermar, Teixeira Duarte e Marques SA consortium. It includes the reconstruction of the breakwater and its expansion by around 95 metres, the construction of a new 170-metre-long quay, with service depths of -9 metres (ZH) and a 40-metre-wide platform (this includes the construction of the new passenger terminal and port operations support building), and the refurbishment of the entire general technical networks (water, electricity, public lighting, CCTV and fuel).

During the construction work, the maritime transport of goods and passengers to and from Flores will be guaranteed, precisely because of the emergency protection works that have been carried out at the site.

This works contract also aims to rebuild the damaged port infrastructure, adopting solutions to provide the Lajes das Flores Port with better operational, safety and resilience conditions, such as improving the shelter conditions in the port basin, increasing the quay service depths, creating redundancies to guarantee permanent quay availability, and separating the various port sectors to improve their operation and minimise the risk of accidents.