WASHINGTON: The Portuguese minister of the sea said this week that she expected an increase “of about 200percent” in freight movements through Portugal’s ports in the next decade, in line with the 180 percent rise seen between 2006 and 2016. Ana Paula Vitorino, who was speaking in parliament about next year’s budget, stressed that this activity is important for the national economy, not just in terms of exports, but also to get goods off the roads and onto ships.
The minister also said that private investment intentions in the sea sector were worth more than €2 billion and that she had received “expressions of interest” for the new Lisbon terminal and the ports of Sines and Leixões. The sea ministry is going to get an 11.7 percent increase in next year’s budget with total spending of €89.3 million.
