The new management of the Algarve’s ports, based up the west coast in Sines, estimates that by March 2014 a tug will be available in the Algarve for the 2014 season.
The cruise season starts in March and the availability of a tug, if permanent, will help the planning of advertising and promotion effort by Portimão council to attract international cruise companies to include the Algarve on their itineraries.
The Captain of the port authority that now covers the Algarve, Sines-based José Pedro Soares, explained that the tug is there to help and supply cruise ships but may also be used for maritime rescue operations.
For the future, said Soares, there is a possibility of acquiring a tugboat for the Algarve through a grant from the EU, since the cost of the vessel is around €5 million.
This figure can not be supported by the Sines-based port authority, according to Soares, despite a firm promise from the Minister for the Economy Pires de Lima, during his Summer 2013 Algarve boondoggle, that the Algarve would get a permanent tug to enable the planning and development of its cruise business.
The promised tug will stay in the Algarve for the year, or during the licensing period, whichever is shorter, and will be shared between Faro docks and Portimão.
