Page 52: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 2015)

COUNTRY REPORT: PORTUGAL (Photo: iStock)

Searching for Lost

PortugalPortugal

Maritime Glory

By Joseph R. Fonseca lthough a small nation on the Portuguese ? eet received large subsi- cess of expanding their existing contain- ers in this register comply with all the the Atlantic shores, Portu- dies. In the second phase, when Portugal er terminals and overall port capacity. In Portuguese applicable legislations. The gal in the 16th century was lost most of its overseas territories, as a these ports new green? eld terminals are other known as the International Ship-

Acredited with discovering consequence it also lost most of the mer- also being developed. ping Registry of Madeira (MAR) was most of the “New World” previously chant shipping trade with those territo- New cruise terminals have also been created to reduce the country’s “? agging unknown to Europe. In the process it ries. This had a direct negative impact on developed for Leixões (Porto), Lisbon out” process as well as to attract new became the richest nation in the West. merchant shipping. (Santo Apolônia), the Algarve (Por- ship owners and vessels. The advantage

The names of Bartolomeu Dias (Africa), Today, the country is caught up in the timão), the Azores (Ponta Delgada) and being that this register offers a favorable

Vasco da Gama (India) and Fernão de turmoil of an apparently interminable Madeira (Funchal). The country is also tax regime, applicable to both vessels

Magalhães – Magellan, who led the ? rst Eurozone crisis. The government is tak- investing in a string of new marinas. and shipping companies licensed within circumnavigation of the globe but was ing initiatives to revive the country’s ma- the legal framework of the International killed in the attempt – echo down the rine industries – or create new ones in Shipping Registry Business Centre of Madeira. Ships are centuries. a bid to recover its lost glory. Already, Portugal has two Ship registers for registered by the MAR Technical Com-

Over the years the country underwent in the port sector things are looking up. vessels entitled to ? y the Portuguese ? ag mission (CT-MAR), with an of? ce at a transformation and saw the hard won The reform and modernization schemes and under the same Maritime Admin- Funchal, Madeira Island, and their home glory fade. In fact until 1974, strong of the recent past have had a positive im- istration viz. the Conventional register port is “Madeira”. However, from the public protection dominated the national pact on Portugal’s ports. The combined and the International register. The Con- technical point of view ships registered shipping sector, especially regarding cargo handled at the country’s ports has ventional one is the “traditional” Portu- at MAR are subject to the same mari- merchant shipping to Portugal’s over- shot up to 83 million tons in 2014, from guese register of ships. It is carried out time legislation as the ships of the con- seas territories. In that period, shipping just 61 million tons that was handled in by maritime authorities’ of? ces (Capita- ventional register. Last year by the end policy was regarded as an instrument of 2009. More is expected. Both Leixões nias or Delegações Marítimas) existing of September MAR became the fourth integration for the colonies and therefore (Porto), Lisbon and Sines are in the pro- in each port in Portugal. Ships and own- largest international shipping register of 52 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • SEPTEMBER 2015

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