The dredging is being carried out in the access channel to the Port of Leixões.

The works are expected to last approximately two months and are being carried out by the Consortium Teixeira Duarte S.A., Dredging International NV, and Tecnovia – Sociedade de Empreitadas S.A. The dredging activities we are witnessing, near the entrance port, with the deposition of materials near locations 2 and 3 of dredged immersion sites, i.e., near the beaches, by cannon, should continue until Wednesday, November 10th. By the end of this month of November, we expect to continue dredging works, at point 1 of the dredged immersion sites and no longer near the coastline.

The sediments/sands are certainly not polluted, being classified as class 1, meaning they are of excellent quality and can be discharged directly onto the beaches.

The sediments are always subjected to rigorous prior analysis, both during the Environmental Impact Assessment and during the construction process. Samples of sediments are also collected and undergo regular characterization campaigns. These analyses consistently classify the sediments as clean dredged material, ensuring their suitability for nourishing the beaches along the coastal area of the Porto metropolitan area.

APDL invites you to consult the information contained in the EIA for Maritime Accessibility.
List of documents available on the APA website and on the APDL website.
The summary of these results is included in EIA Synthesis Report (Environmental Impact Assessment) – Figure 76 on page 165.
The detailed description of the sediment collection and analysis campaign can be found in the 2017 report, the 2020 report and the 2021 report.
You can also consult the water analysis report collected on November 10 during sediment discharge operations near Castelo do Queijo.

These sediments/sands have a dark hue because dredging is being done at the seabed (and not at the wave break), where there are always silt and mud particles. When these particles are stirred up, they cause the suspension of materials, which tend to be darker, creating a film on the surface/gray foam with no environmental impact. In fact, if the sea were more turbulent, this film would easily disappear, as evidenced by the visible sand at the wave break, which does not have this appearance since it is constantly being washed by the ocean's waves.

The sediments are being deposited on the beaches in accordance with the recommendations of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), our consultants, and national and international organizations. This is because they are classified as class 1, meaning excellent quality, and they contribute to compensating for beach erosion, minimizing imbalance, and restoring the system. During dredging operations, three types of granulometry can be found: very fine material, clayey material, and sandy material. The material that circulates along the beaches is sandy, and according to competent recommendations, this is what should be placed in these locations. Considering the common erosion process along the coastline, which is common to all countries, this is the only way to counteract this effect. Therefore, whenever the material is granular, it is deposited on the bathing sands. The remaining material (finer and clayey) is placed in the offshore disposal site, as occurred during the week of November 1st to 5th, as its characteristics are not compatible with bathing sands. In fact, a large part of the sand on Matosinhos beach has been replenished by APDL over the past decades in similar operations to this one, which have promoted coastal sediment dynamics and beach activities.

The dredging operations are carried out by the company Dredging International NV, globally recognized for its competence and experience in this type of work.

The current breakwater at the Port of Leixões does not allow entry to about half of the world's container ship fleet, whose size is increasingly larger for operational profitability reasons.

The safety of large ships entering the harbor largely depends on the length of the sheltered area from the effects of the sea between the head of the breakwater (where the lighthouse is located) and the entrance to the inner harbor basin.

The extension of the breakwater will increase this sheltered area by 300 meters. It is common for rough sea conditions to prevent the entry of ships, which are forced to wait several days at sea, incurring immobilization costs of up to $18,000 per day per ship.

Once the works are completed, the Port of Leixões could accommodate an additional 150 ships per year, resulting in an increase in cargo equivalent to 450,000 TEUs.

These costs are not borne by APDL, but could lead to some shipping companies abandoning the Port of Leixões for other ports, with serious consequences for the regional and national economy.

With the current port configuration, the largest ships that can access correspond to those with a length of 215 meters (with a beam of 30.4 meters and a draft of 11.4 meters).

Porto de Leixões does not have the capacity to accommodate ships of the 300-meter class, with a beam of 40.2 meters and a draft of 13.7 meters, capable of carrying up to 5000 TEU (TEU, "Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit," is the standard measure used to calculate the volume of a cargo container.

A 20-foot container equals 1 TEU).

1. Traffic on Av. Antunes Guimarães, near the Fort of Our Lady of the Snows, will be reorganized to create a dedicated lane for heavy vehicles involved in the works related to the extension of the breakwater. This will help minimize the impacts on road, pedestrian, and cycling traffic.

The works consist of extending the Outer Breakwater and improving Maritime Accessibility, indispensable interventions to provide the Port of Leixões with better safety and capacity conditions, contributing to create new solutions for the companies based in the region and thus promoting the development of the territory and employment.

3. No. The current traffic conditions for both vehicles and pedestrians/cyclists will remain the same, with only the adaptation of the roads to avoid intersections with heavy vehicle access to the construction site.

No. As the images show, this avenue will continue to have the same contingent of traffic circulating in the lanes intended for vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles, which will just be reorganised, without any impact on distance, volume, time or access for its users and the community.

1. No. The car park will be maintained, with the additional reinforcement of the APDL car park at peak times, namely at the end of the day (during the week) and at the weekend, in order to serve local restaurants and shops..

6. No. Given that the work will take place in the port area and that public roads will only be reorganised for access, no activity will be compromised and can be carried out in the same way as before the intervention..

Yes. Given the temporary nature of this solution, the initial conditions of the road will be restored as soon as the changes made now are no longer necessary.