Navallethes, a shipyard in a business area of Viana do Castelo, will be delivering four fast boats for control and surveillance to the GNR this week, valued at more than €3 million.
Speaking to the Lusa news agency today, Francisco Portela Rosa, director of the shipbuilding company, said that the four ‘Coast Patrol Boats’ (CPB) “are the first to be produced for the GNR and are equipped with state-of-the-art technology”.
The 13-metre long boats are equipped with three 300 horsepower engines that can reach a maximum speed of 48 knots (around 90 kilometres per hour)” and were acquired under the Internal Security Fund (FSI).
But there was more: the shipyard is in danger of going out of business, because authorities have done nothing to prevent silt building up, meaning it cannot take in certain craft. “ I’ve been talking to everyone.
I’ve taken ministers and secretaries of State there (to the shipyard), but there’s no one to solve the problem that is compromising the activity of the only shipyard in Alto Minho with the capacity to take vessels of up to 200 tonnes aground,” said Rosa.
If nothing is done, the business will flounder, taking vital employment out of the area.
