Container ships carrying goods to supply the Region are expected to arrive in Madeira this Monday. This guarantees the supply of products, following the chaos experienced at the port of Leixões, which left hundreds of containers stranded. This information was provided to DIÁRIO by the Regional Secretary for the Economy, José Manuel Rodrigues.
According to the governor, the ‘Atlântico’ should arrive at the port of Caniçal before 7 am and the ‘Monte da Guia’ should do so around 5 pm. After docking, unloading operations will follow by APRAM (the port authority), shipowners, and the port operator, followed by the delivery of goods to freight forwarders and distribution chains to get products to businesses and families.
It was on Christmas morning that both Miguel Albuquerque and José Manuel Rodrigues requested the Prime Minister’s intervention to find a solution to expedite the dispatch of cargo to the Region, given the risk of “disruptions in supply chains.”
“The Ministries of Finance and Infrastructure and Housing have guaranteed that the Customs office at the port of Leixões will open tomorrow to proceed with the entry and clearance of goods that need to be shipped,” stated a note sent by José Manuel Rodrigues’ office to the media on the evening of December 25th.
The ‘chaos’ at the port of Leixões was due to the implementation of the new Integrated System of Means of Transport and Goods (SiMTeM), resulting from a decision by the European Commission in December 2019.