The Regional Secretary of the Sea, Science and Technology stated today that, through the improvement works of Topo Port, the Regional Government "provides the island of São Jorge with another infrastructure that has all the conditions to serve the fisheries and tourism sectors, thus strengthening the island’s economy."
Gui Menezes spoke at the ceremony that marked the beginning of the upgrading works of Topo Port with a budget of 6.3 million Euros. On the occasion, he considered it “a significant investment” that gives “shape to the commitment made by the Regional Government and is in the process of being fully implemented."
According to the government official, this investment will “substantially reinforce the safety and operational conditions” of that port, through several improvements. They include the construction of a 60-metre-long jetty and a 40-metre-long mooring berth as well as the repaving of the existing quay and the construction of a slipway and an embankment area of about 1,200 m2.
Under the Azorean Government's strategy for fisheries on São Jorge Island, the Regional Secretary also highlighted the new Velas Cold Storage Unit, an investment of around one million Euros "to be completed by the end of September."
For Gui Menezes, this is “a strong contribution to enhancement of the fisheries sector and, consequently, to the income of the São Jorge fishers."
“If we consider these two works and the various investments in the maintenance of fishing support infrastructures that have been carried out on São Jorge, we are talking about an investment of more than seven million Euros to ensure that local fishers have better conditions for the practice of fishing,” said the Regional Secretary.
Gui Menezes further noted that the Regional Government's political decision to proceed with the works in Topo Port “was also based on the premise of creating conditions for the development of the tourism sector,” seeing that this port will have the condition necessary for the operation of maritime-tourism companies.
In this context, he stated that Topo Port can be regarded as a “strong factor of attraction of visitors” to this part of São Jorge Island, adding that this investment is “a Regional Government's response to the exponential growth occurring in this area."
According to Gui Menezes, public investment in the upgrading works of Topo Port “will provide better the island of São Jorge with the conditions to better face future challenges, while enabling the local population to harness the island's full potential."
The contract work for the improvement of Topo Port, awarded to the MOTA-ENGIL and ETERMAR consortium, is expected to be completed by November 2020.