The Regional Secretary for Transport and Public Works stated today that the contract work for the construction of the ramp for RO-RO and Ferry ships and the complementary works to improve the operating and shelter conditions of Pipas Port will provide Angra do Heroísmo with "conditions that will serve several areas of the economy of the sea." 

Ana Cunha spoke at the contract signing ceremony. On the occasion, she stressed that the Regional Government "has committed itself to the redevelopment of this port," providing the certainty that "this work will result in a huge advantage for this city and this municipality as well as for the island of Terceira and the Azores.”
 
The project represents an investment amounting to about 14 million Euros and has a completion period of 24 months. It presents as one of its main advantages the full implementation and operation of the "Purple Line" in the inter-island maritime transport, since the RO-RO ramp will allow vehicles to be loaded and unloaded on the vessels "Gilberto Mariano" and "Mestre Jaime Feijó." 

"This RO-RO ramp will also be the last of a cycle of works carried out in the Region over the last few years, with the construction of RO-RO ramps in 11 ports of eight islands," the Regional Secretary stressed, noting that the expansion of the Pipas Port's berth will allow the use of this infrastructure by thematic cruises or expedition ships. 

“Having created these conditions, Angra do Heroísmo will see its positioning strengthened as a major attraction for thematic cruises, which will not only boost the island of Terceira, but also all regional ports,” said Ana Cunha. In this regard, she added that the Regional Government, through the Regional Port Authorities, has worked towards the attractiveness of the archipelago as a cruise destination. 

The Regional Secretary stressed that "these efforts do not end with the work done," stressing that "several initiatives will also be carried out to attract new calls and new ships to this port."

In this context, she pointed out that the Azores have, “for all that they represent, a potential of attraction for this sector,” pointing out that thematic cruises already cover most of the islands of the archipelago and remain in the Region for a week. 

"In some cases, the Azores are the even the point of entry and exit for passengers, which brings added value to the economy with air travels, hotel stays and car rentals," said the government official. As she emphasised, "with the conditions that the Pipas Port will have, we will offer another important feature for the shipowners carrying out their activity in the Azores, who will now have three ports of reference port for these ships.” 

In addition, Ana Cunha stressed that this contract work will increase the capacity of the Marina of Angra do Heroísmo for recreational boating, also boosting the economic activities related to this sector and the development of new business opportunities in terms of complementary services. 

For the Regional Secretary, this project is a further demonstration of the Regional Government's efforts towards the improvement and redevelopment of the existing port infrastructures, optimising its use for several operators in the most varied areas, from inter-island transport to cruise tourism. This intervention represents "another important step towards the completion of a work that falls within the goals of the Programme of the Government" regarding the optimisation of port infrastructures.