EUROPE

Liscont to be moved to Santa Apolonia

22 years ago

Lisbon Port Authority (APL) has communicated to its leading deepsea container terminal Liscont that it would like it to vacate its current concession in the Alcantara zone and move to an entirely new site at Santa Apolonia. To build the proposed new terminal would cost an estimated ¢ 200m, although work is not scheduled to start for at least two or three years. In the meantime, Liscont is investing ¢ 11.5m in its existing site as a means of boosting capacity.

Cargo throughput totalled 354m tons, 8% more than in 2003. Recently appointed ceo, Hans Smits, who was already on the board of supervisory directors and acting general director, and had been a director of the management consultancy Arthur D. Little, said: “Records are relative to me, although I have to admit this sure is a nice start. I am more interested in the performance of our terminal operators. ECT, to mention one, makes good progress. An example is the ECT Delta terminal where today five cranes were working on one vessel simultaneously. Right now that is unique, but in the future it will be self-evident”.

At present, the stevedore has three gantry cranes in operation and is expecting a further two by July. Liscont’s concession is not due to expire until 2015 which implies a complete renegotiation of the original agreement if the move is to go ahead. Liscont does not object to the move, as long as existing operating conditions are guaranteed.

APL wants to use the existing Liscont terminal for cruise ships. However, as part of the contract agreement struck with PSA, which operates Terminal XXI the port of Sines though has been rumoured to be looking for a buyer, no new container terminal development can go ahead at the port of Lisbon without triggering compensation for the Singapore stevedore.