The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology stated in Ponta Delgada that the expansion of coloured or labelled diesel to vehicles used in fishing activities allows shipowners to "reduce operating costs," stressing that shipowners and fishers "will benefit in terms of income."
 
"This measure should directly benefit 175 shipowners and, indirectly, 1,750 fishers," revealed Gui Menezes. The government official spoke at the end of a hearing at Committee on Economic Affair of the Legislative Assembly on the amendment to the legislation establishing System for Monitoring and controlling the supply of diesel to Agriculture and Fisheries in the Azores.
 
According to the Regional Secretary, "operating costs, such as the purchase of diesel, are usually deducted from the revenue obtained from the sale of fish." In this context, he pointed out that reducing operating costs will increase the amount to be distributed among fishers.
 
Road diesel costs 1.18 Euros per litre while the price of coloured or labelled fishing diesel is at 48 cents, which means that, with this measure, shipowners will save about 70 cents per litre on the supply of vehicles used in fishing activities.
 
"If the diesel used in vans by the shipowners is currently more expensive, with this measure there will be a reduction of these costs and, subsequently, shipowners and fishers will benefit in terms of income," said Gui Menezes.
 
Vehicles that provide support to fishing activities, including those used for the transport of crews and fishing gear between ports, markets, collection points and fishing gear houses are eligible beneficiaries of this measure, as is already the case of the agricultural sector.
 
Gui Menezes added that it will be necessary to "prepare the legal document and proceed with a previous discussion with the sector," adding that it will be possible to implement this measure still this year."
 
The Regional Secretary also stated that each shipowner will have a stipulated limit on the supply of vehicle with labelled diesel, which "should be indexed to the number of unloads by a vessel in the market."
 
The system for monitoring and controlling the supply of diesel to Agriculture and Fisheries was created in 2014, while the measure for coloured or labelled diesel was implemented in the Regional in 2015.