Regional Government cancels tender for construction of ship and allocates 48.2 million Euros to health, employment and economy
The Council of the Government of the Azores annulled the international public tender for the design and construction of a ship for the transport of passengers and vehicles, having decided to allocate the respective amount to finance support measures in the areas of health and employment as well as to revitalise the regional economy.
“I think it is clear to everyone that priorities are different and urgent today. Therefore, we do what needs to be done to guarantee all possible resources for health, reinforcing our means to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, for employment support programmes and for measures aimed at sustaining our economy in this challenging phase," stressed the President of the Government, Vasco Cordeiro.
The decision was taken by the Azorean Government at the meeting convened by the President of the Government, which took place this afternoon by videoconference.
In practice, this decision will allow us, under the guidelines set out by the European Commission, to direct 41 million euros of Community funds and the remaining 7.2 million Euros of regional co-financing to the measures implemented by the Government aimed at increasing investment in health as well as supporting employment and revitalising the economy, given the regional situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The international public tender included the design and construction of a RO-RO ship with a capacity to transport 650 passengers and 150 vehicles.
The Regional Government thanks the collaboration of the members of the jury: José Manuel Monteiro da Silva, retired Counsellor Judge of the Court of Auditors; Luís Filipe Melo; Manuel Ventura, professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Instituto Superior Técnico (School of Engineering); João Frade, Merchant Navy Captain, and José Augusto de Sousa Gomes, Coordinator of the Implementing Structure of the Integrated Transport Plan (EIPIT).