The Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariat for the Sea, Science and Technology, has awarded the contract work for the construction of the Azores Maritime School in the former Horta Naval Radio Station on Faial to the company Afavias – Engenharia e Construções – Açores, S.A.
 
A four-million Euro investment, the work includes the adaptation of the existing building and the construction of new buildings, the adaptation of a warehouse at Horta Port for training activities that require direct access to the sea and the acquisition of basic equipment. 
 
The Azores Maritime School will feature several areas for teaching and training, such classrooms and simulator rooms, specialty workshops, damage control and safety park, an industrial kitchen and facilities for professional diving training.
 
This new vocational training school will focus its training activity on professions related to fisheries, maritime transport of passengers and cargo, repair and shipbuilding, maritime-tourism activities, environmental observation and fisheries, including new jobs in the maritime economy.
 
The Sea Regional Secretary stressed the role of the Azores Maritime School will contribute to the external promotion of the Azores "as maritime region of excellence," considering that will be "a structuring project for the Azores" in maritime economy.
 
According to Fausto Brito e Abreu, the new educational establishment will "address identified needs in the Region with regard to maritime training and foster emerging occupations, such as environmental monitoring and others in maritime tourism activities."
 
The Government of the Azores wants that the Azores Maritime School provides "a versatile, diverse and modular training offer with courses adapted to the requirements and needs of the markets."
 
This school will provide certified and accredited training by national and international entities, namely under the International Convention on the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW).
 
This contract work has a completion period of 12 months from the beginning of the work and corresponds to the first phase of the project; the second phase concerns the acquisition of technical equipment.