Council believes process should be expedited
Lagos Municipal Council is calling for urgent works to be carried out at the entrance of the local port and the pontoon adjacent to the Ponta da Bandeira fort and Solaria dock.
Says the council in a statement to the press, its written request was sent out to port and government authorities.
The Secretary of State for the Sea’s office has answered saying that the port’s planned dredging work is included in the Algarve’s 2024-26 regional dredging plan and that authorities are waiting for an environmental impact study (EIA) to be completed before launching a public tender for the works.
“Considering that the plan itself identifies the need to carry out annual dredging works at the port entrance and approach channel, the council views the dragging of this situation with concern,” the local authority states.
The outlook is also “not encouraging” for the pontoon’s revamp, the council says. “Despite being identified in the priority list of interventions by the Directorate-General for Natural Resources, Safety, and Maritime Services (DGRM), there is still no specific study prepared or even commissioned,” it explains.
“Therefore, the municipality will continue to advise the competent authorities to expedite the processing of these procedures, whose implementation is essential to ensure the necessary infrastructure in a territory that relies heavily on the sea as one of its main resources, around which the community and economy are organised,” the municipal council says.
The statement ends with a breakdown of the council’s demands, which include the “reassessment of the breakwaters at the entrance of Lagos and their respective intervention; the necessary and urgent restoration works on the pontoon adjacent to Ponta da Bandeira fort and Solaria dock; as well as the urgent dredging operation of the port entrance and Bensafrim river channel to ensure safe access, navigation, and departure from the port.”
