The construction of a new marina in Vilamoura to accommodate up to 68 large yachts began January 23. and is expected to be completed next September with an investment of 23 million euros.
The construction of a new marina in Vilamoura to accommodate up to 68 large yachts began today and is expected to be completed next September with an investment of 23 million euros.
The infrastructure will make it possible to receive yachts of 20 to 40 meters, which until now had nowhere to stay along the Portuguese coast and were channeled to Spain, was underlined by various entities during the ceremony that marked the start of the work this morning.
“This new marina in Vilamoura is highly differentiating for the destination and responds to the obvious needs of the market in relation to large vessels, which currently pass off the coast,” said Isolete Correia, administrator of Vilamoura World and the main person responsible for the project.
The investment of more than 23 million euros, according to Isolete Correia, will allow for the installation of three pontoons with 68 berths, “equipped with the latest technologies capable of contributing to user comfort and environmental sustainability”.
The yachts will have their new moorings in the area of the foredeck that provides access from the sea to the existing Vilamoura Marina, which has more than 800 places for smaller boats.
The current marina was built 50 years ago, in the municipality of Loulé, and is one of the Algarve’s ‘ex-libris’.
Each of the new berths will have multiple solutions to “promote comfort and sustainability”.
Among the new services to be offered will be an individual pump-out system for all the boats, which will allow waste water to be collected.
According to those responsible for the new marina, there are also plans to install charging points for electric boats and systems for remote monitoring and management of water and electricity consumption.
Finally, “studies are also underway to implement desalination systems and photovoltaic energy generation for the efficient supply of water and electricity”.
“It’s prestigious for Portugal to have a marina like this,” said the Secretary of State for Fisheries, Teresa Coelho, adding that the project brings “another type of tourism” that the country needs.
The mayor of Loulé, Vítor Aleixo, who was also present at the ceremony, said that this project fulfills requirements that he considers important, such as respect for sustainability, while at the same time helping Algarve tourism to grow with quality.