Expansion of the port of Leixões and new terminal in Sines to cost €1.338 billion

Investments in a new container terminal at the port of Sines and the expansion of the port of Leixões will cost €1.338 billion, equivalent to around 44% of the €3.056 billion earmarked for direct investment in port capacity growth. In total, the new port strategy provides for a global investment of around €4 billion to expand the sector by 2035.

The construction of the new Vasco da Gama terminal in Sines will cost €701 million, with a €560 million concession to be launched for this project, which has already been launched in the past but for which no bids were received, according to the resolution approving the Strategy for Commercial Ports on the Mainland 2025-2035, known as ‘Ports 5+’, announced on Tuesday.

The investment in the Vasco da Gama terminal will be the largest provided for in the plan, which was presented by the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, at the end of July. The second largest project is the expansion of the port of Leixões, with an investment of €637 million. The Leixões container terminal will also have a new concession, worth €430 million.

The plan for ports also provides for an investment of €478 million for the redevelopment of the port of Lisbon, another €328 million for the expansion of the port of Sines and Terminal XXI, €300 million for the Mitrena shipyard in the port of Setúbal, €250 million to develop the port of Setúbal, €229 million to expand port capacity and access to the ports of Aveiro and Figueira da Foz, and €133 million to develop the port of Viana do Castelo.

All in all, investment and development of port infrastructure will receive 3.056 billion euros over the decade. In addition to these investments, there is also €293 million earmarked for improving local, regional and sectoral integration; €296 million to improve intermodality and connectivity; €250 million to invest in decarbonising the sector and making it more sustainable; and €72 million to strengthen digitalisation.

As announced by Minister Miguel Pinto Luz, the private sector, through 15 new concessions that will be launched, will finance around 75% of the €3.967 billion in investments planned for the port sector between 2025 and 2035. Thus, private companies will be responsible for financing €2.941 billion, while the remaining €1.026 billion will be invested by the Port Authority and through European funds.

“New public service concessions are expected to be launched during this period, covering the ports of Leixões, Aveiro, Lisbon, Setúbal and Sines, with a focus on various market segments, including containerised cargo, general cargo, liquid and solid bulk cargo and roll-on roll-off operations”, states the Government resolution.

The aim of the strategy is to ensure “that the new concessions will allow for more competition in the market, the emergence of new port operators and an adequate response to the current and future demands of the economy and logistics chains”.

According to the same document, the tenders for the concession of terminals for cargo handling under a public service regime to be launched foresee an estimated private investment of around two billion euros, covering the construction of new port terminals and the modernisation of existing infrastructure.

“Added to this amount is the private investment planned in port terminals for cargo handling under public service concessions already awarded, such as Terminal XXI at the port of Sines and the Alcântara Terminal at the port of Lisbon, and in other existing port terminals, shipyards and private docks”, it adds.

Leixões, Aveiro, Lisbon, Setúbal and Sines with 15 new concessions

In addition to the new concessions for the relaunch of the new Sines terminal and the Leixões container terminal, there are 13 other concessions that will be launched in Lisbon, Setúbal, Aveiro, and Leixões. In the north, in addition to the container concession, there will be a new contract for the management of the Leixões General Cargo Terminal (Bulk and Agri-food Storage) and another for the Roll-on Roll-off Terminal, also in Leixões, worth 85 million and 50 million euros, respectively.

Setúbal will move forward with a new concession at the Mitrena Shipyard, worth €300 million, to invest in the development of new infrastructure and new quays. Also in Setúbal, new concessions will be launched for the Mitrena Multipurpose, Roll-on Roll-off and Multipurpose and Project Cargo terminals.

In Lisbon, there will be four new concessions — containers, general cargo and bulk, liquid bulk and cereals — and in Aveiro, three (general cargo and bulk, liquid bulk and roll-on roll-off and project cargo).

With the implementation of this strategy, the Government expects to reach around 125 million tonnes, a 50% increase compared to 2023, 6.5 million TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit), equivalent to a 70% increase, and a 30% increase in the number of passengers, to three million.

“This growth should be sustained by an active traffic capture strategy, including the transfer of cargo currently transported by road on connections to Northern Europe, where this mode of transport continues to account for a high share, the recovery of Portuguese cargo using Spanish ports and the capture of cargo from Spain, extending the hinterland of national ports to Madrid and the centre of the Iberian Peninsula”, the same document explains.

Investments in the capacity of the Douro Waterway should support the expected growth in passenger numbers, while capacity at the port of Leixões should increase by ten million tonnes. The largest increases in capacity will occur in containerised cargo, with the new North Container Terminal, and in roll-on roll-off cargo.

By 31 December 2026, “proposals for legislative and regulatory changes to simplify administration and promote competitiveness that are necessary to achieve the objectives of this resolution will be presented”.