The international public tender for the new container terminal at the port of Sines, also called 'Vasco da Gama Terminal', was launched in Portugal earlier this week. The project will channel an investment of more than half a billion euros to the largest national port in the containerized cargo segment.

The tender document has been published in the Diário da República. According to the document the tender for the concession, including the design, construction and operation, has a deadline of nine months. The award is planned for the last quarter of 2020 and commencement of the work for 2021. The construction is expected to last approximately three years.

The new terminal will have an annual handling capacity of 3.5 million TEU (standard measure equivalent to 20 foot containers) and a 1,375 meter long pier with three simultaneous berthing positions of the largest ships in the world (400 meters long, 60 meters wide and capacity for 24,000 TEU). The future terminal will have an area of ​​46 hectares of embankment, 15 dock gantries and bottoms of -17.5 meters ZH (in depth).

The new Vasco da Gama Terminal will represent an estimated investment of about EUR 642 million (USD 712 million), from private funds to the future concessionaire, with EUR 225 million (USD 250 million) invested in equipment and EUR 417 million (USD 463 million) in infrastructure.

The concession period for the project is 50 years.

The construction of the Vasco da Gama Terminal will have a total economic impact of EUR 524 million (USD 582 million), in addition to 1,350 direct jobs that are expected to be created during the operation phase of the new container terminal.

The project will be built and financed exclusively by private funds. The concession space will remain in the public domain under the port jurisdiction.