Container handling capacity at the Port of Sines is set to surge with an agreement finalised for the enlargement of its existing container terminal while a tender for the construction of a second container terminal has been launched.
In a statement the port authority noted: “The accomplishment of these two projects will enhance the Port of Sines role as one of the main European ports, offering a total throughput capacity over 7m teu.”
The Port of Sines Authority and PSA Sines have signed a contract to double the capacity of Terminal XXI to 4.1m teu.
The expansion will feature the enlargement of the quay front to 1,750 m, enabling the simultaneous operation of four mega-ships.
The total private investment of €660.9m (US$737m) to be made by the concessionaire, PSA Sines, comprises not only the expansion of the quay and its handling equipment, but also the maintenance, replacement and renovation of equipment already installed in previous expansion phases, during the whole concession period.
An international public tender has also been launched for the concession of a new container terminal named Vasco da Gama Terminal, under a B.O.T. model, comprising its design, construction and operation.
Representing a total private investment of €642m (US$716m), the new terminal will have an annual handling capacity of 3.5m teu, offering 20 m of depth and a 1.375 m quay front with three simultaneous berthing positions for the world’s largest container vessels.
