SINES REPORTS MODEST 2005 PROFIT

The Proposal is now expected to be withdrawn altogether.

The port of Sines is forecasting a net profit of between €200,000 and €400,000 for 2005. Despite its modest nature it is the first profit to be made for six years. For 2006, a profit of up to €5m is forecast. 2005 was a record year for the port with vessel numbers exceeding the previous best year, which was 1990, whilst a volume of 24.5m tons was also higher than the 1995 previous record of 22.5m tons.