The Regional Secretary for Transport and Public Works announced today the Regional Government will launch this year a public tender for the construction of São Roque do Pico Passenger Terminal, which includes the redevelopment of the surrounding area, an investment of about four million Euros.
 
"We are, therefore, in the face of a significant improvement of the conditions for operating the maritime transport of passengers in São Roque do Pico, followed by the expansion of the commercial port. The latter is currently in the project development phase, which will be subject to tests in a reduced-size model, taking into consideration the great technical complexity of this work," said Ana Cunha. She spoke at the presentation of the technical solution for the new Passenger Terminal and redevelopment of the surrounding area in the context of the Government's statutory visit to Pico.
 
For the Regional Secretary, "this is another important step in this process, whose possible solutions has been duly considered and carefully analysed. It also involved the dialogue with the various entities representing this municipality and the island, seeing that significant public resources are stake: it represents an estimated overall investment of around 30 million Euros, including the expansion of the commercial port."
 
This amount of investment "requires the assurance of technical guarantees that this work will fully serve the goals for which it was designed and will be carried out. This is exactly what has been at stake during this time: the need to ensure that the chosen location serves the purposes of this investment, which is to say that it will serve the population of this municipality, the island and the economy of Pico in the best possible way," said Ana Cunha.
 
"This is, of course, our obligation as managers of public financial resources, either in this investment that we are going to carry out here or in any public work taking place throughout the Region," added the government official.
 
With this investment, "we will create the conditions to enable the simultaneous operation of regular passenger and cargo transport, thus eliminating a constraint in this port," stated Ana Cunha.
 
"If we add up the nearly five million Euros invested in the damage recovery of Madalena Port and the nine million Euros in the construction of 'João Quaresma' passenger terminal to this 30 million-Euro investment, the truth is that Pico Island is receiving investments of more than 44 million Euros in maritime infrastructures," stressed the Regional Secretary.
 
Hence, this is "an unprecedented investment in recent decades. It is transforming the face of maritime passenger transport on Pico Island, similarly to what is happening throughout the Region, by creating comfort, operational and safety conditions without neglecting the substantial economic impact on the island's economy," stated the government official.
 
According to Ana Cunha, "this investment effort in port infrastructures serves a regional maritime transport strategy, which includes the vessels operating throughout the year on the Central Group islands."
 
The Regional Secretary also revealed that "the new Atlânticoline vessel, 'Mestre Jaime Feijó' is currently undergoing sea trials, followed by the necessary certification. So far, these trials have been successful."
 
After this phase, the vessel will be ready to enter into operation.
 
"It is a vessel with capacity for 333 passengers and 15 vehicles, including two with a gross weight of up to 5.5 tonnes," Ana Cunha said, noting that "the process has been running swiftly following the decision to replace the vessel 'Mestre Simão'."
 
"All these investments in the maritime transport of Pico Island are in line with a regional strategy to promote the mobility of the Azoreans, as a factor of territorial cohesion, but also to strengthen the economic development of all islands," the Regional Secretary stated, noting that "this is why one cannot see the wood for the trees."
 
"Therefore, one cannot claim that, for example, a malfunction in a vessel is an argument for talking about the failure of maritime passenger transport in our Region. One cannot do this because, in fact, the figures themselves reject this populist argument," stated the government official.
 
"Suffice it to say that the number of passengers transported in the Azores, including the seasonal operation and the Central Group islands operation, has grown 15 percent over a decade," revealed the Regional Secretary.
 
Moreover, Ana Cunha also stressed that the solution for the São Roque do Pico Passenger Terminal, presented today, "leaves no doubt about the political decision to move forward with this investment."
 
This solution gives "shape to the commitment we have made to the population of this municipality as well as to the population of this island. A commitment based on the importance of this type of investment, transports and the mobility of the Azoreans and those visiting us towards the general of wealth on our islands and, consequently, the creation of more and better jobs," stated the Regional Secretary.