The President of the Government announced on Friday that the investments in maritime infrastructures over the next four years will meet the priority needs set for this area: ensuring the safety of ports, improving the movement of people and goods, promoting leisure and recreational boating.

"Priorities are being established according to the interventions to be carried out by the Government in maritime infrastructures," said Vasco Cordeiro after receiving in audience the Mayor of São Roque do Pico in Ponta Delgada.
According to him, the first priority for this legislative period concerns safety issues. In this context the Government is carrying out interventions to reinforce the breakwater head and build the inner breakwater at Madalena port.

Further interventions might be carried out as a result of unforeseen circumstances.

In this area of public investment, the second priority should be the improvement of the movement of people and goods between the islands, stressed the President of the Government. In this context, the government official mentioned some ongoing interventions, including the construction works of Madalena passenger terminal and the pier for passengers in São Roque do Pico, and the expansion of the commercial port in Velas, São Jorge.

"The third priority concerns leisure and recreational boating," stated Vasco Cordeiro, adding that there are advanced studies on the construction project of São Roque do Pico commercial port. Currently, the process is being developed "so that this work may be carried out in the terms that best serve the island of Pico and the Azores."

"This is a work of great relevance for the improvement of the movement of goods in the internal market with the conditions created in the pier," concluded the President of the Government.