The 'Thomson Spirit' cruise ship, carrying over 1,000 passengers, appeared to run aground in the Arade river on Tuesday, remaining in the channel for 90 minutes while the Captain carried out docking maneuvers.
The badly silted up channel has long been the reason that larger cruise ships will not attempt to dock at Portimão, thus depriving the city of tourist revenue.
The government continues to allow the Sines and Algarve Ports Administration (APS) to boost investment in all ports except those in the Algarve with the outgoing APS president confirming a policy of positive discrimination against the Algarve’s docks at Portimão and Faro.
The Thomson Spirit left Portimão when the tide had risen sufficiently, having entered the zone at 08:00 at low tide and clearly with some difficulty.
The captain had tried to maneuver in the basin in front of the quayside but was forced to give up for security reasons. The ship finally docked at 09:20.
The problems of silting in the Arade are well known but nothing has been done for ten years despite an increasing demand for cruise holidays and a desire from Portimão council to allow larger ships to dock as many of the passengers spend money locally.
The dock administration in Portimão guarantees safe maneuvers for ships of up to 215 meters. The 'Thomson Spirit' is 214 meters long yet still managed to get stuck.
The new president of the APS, José Luis Cacho, has made no comment nor has he visited the area.
In August this year, the captain of the Seven Seas Explorer luxury cruise ship decided not to venture into Portimão’s harbour despite being booked in. A tug sailed from Sines to accompany the ship but was not needed.
A 2013, €10 million dredging plan and upgrade for the docks at Portimão, announced as a ‘no brainer’ by the former Economy Minister Pires de Lima, remains mired in official reports and studies.
