Port of Sines
Encyclopedia
Sines
Sines
Sines may refer to one of the following places:*Sines Municipality, a municipality in the district of Setúbal**Sines , a civil parish in the municipality of Sines**Port of Sines, a deep-water port in the city of Sines...
is the main port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
in the Ibero-atlantic front, whose geophysical characteristics have been determinant on the consolidation as a strategic national infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
. It is the country’s leading energetic supplier (crude and its derivatives, coal and natural gas), and already an important port as far as general and containerized cargo concerns, presenting a high growth potential, in order to become a reference port at an Iberian, European and worldwide level – The Atlantic Gateway to Europe.
It’s a modern port (start operating 1978), free of urban restrictions, thus assuring long-term expansion capacity. Offering good land accessibility for present traffic, the port has a road and rail development plan, allowing it to respond to the expected future growth of both the port and the region.
The Port of Sines and its Industrial and Logistics Zone, with more than 2.000 ha, are already a worldwide extent logistic platform that can receive the main players of port, maritime, industrial and logistic sectors. Within the scope of “Portugal Logístico” (the country’s logistic system), the port is fully integrated within the national urban platform of Poceirão, as well as on the Elvas/Caia trans-boundary logistic
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
platforms.
Location and hinterland
The Port of Sines is located on the Southeast of Europe, 58 nautical miles (107.4 km) south from Lisbon, on the cross of the main international maritime routes – East-West and North-South. Its strategic location, along with its natural characteristics, allow the Port to be positioned as the great hub port of the Ibero-Atlantic front. (Latitude: 37º 57'N Longitude: 08º 53'W)The Port of Sines direct hinterland
Hinterland
The hinterland is the land or district behind a coast or the shoreline of a river. Specifically, by the doctrine of the hinterland, the word is applied to the inland region lying behind a port, claimed by the state that owns the coast. The area from which products are delivered to a port for...
comprises all the south and midland part of Portugal. It is located at 150 km from Lisbon, 125 km from Évora, 100 km from Beja and 182 km from Faro. As far as the extended hinterland concerns, the Port of Sines has a competitive position in the Spanish Extremadura as well as the overall area of metropolitan Madrid.
Technology and simplified procedures
At the Port of Sines the latest ITInformation technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
technologies are being used, in order to guarantee a quick clearance of vessels and cargoes, based on simplified procedures. This brand new technological platform implements the One Stop Shop concept, linking all public and private players, and allowing the participants to interact with all the authorities and port services through a single communication channel. The port offers modern operational control and safety computing systems, fully integrated, and allowing the management of port safety and operations surveillance, in real time.
Liquid Bulks Terminal
The Liquid Bulk Terminal (TGLS), has inaugurated in 1978, and it is the largest liquid bulk terminal in the country, designed according to a multi-client and multi-product architecture. With six jetties and natural beds down to 28 metres ZH, it has the capacity to receive vesselsShip
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
up to 350,000 tones Dwt, and allows the simultaneous handling of different products (crude, refined products, liquefied gases and other liquid bulks). This terminal is operated by CLT – Companhia Logística de Terminais Marítimos.
Petrochemical Terminal
Since 1981 the Port of Sines has a terminal dedicated to petrochemical products, which allows the handling of goods via a dedicated pipeline between vesselsShip
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
and the petrochemical complex located in the ZILS – Sines Industrial and Logistics Area of Sines. This terminal is run by Repsol Polímeros.
Multipurpose Terminal
The Sines Multipurpose Terminal came on line in 1992 under a public service concession granted to the company Portsines. It is geared towards handling solid bulk, general cargo and ro-ro. It has 4 berths with a total length of 645 metres at the extrados and 296 meters at the intrados. With depths going down to 18 metres ZH, this allows the reception of ships up to 190,000 tonnes Dwt.LNG Terminal
The Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal started in 2003 and is run under a private use concession by the company REN Atlântico, today handling over 60% of the Natural Gas consumed in Portugal. Equipped with one jetty with beds of 15 metres ZH, it allows the reception of LNG tankers up to 165,000 m3.Container Terminal – Terminal XXI
The Sines ContainerContainer
Container may refer to:* Items used to contain, store, and transport products, such as:** Carton** Bottle** Can , several meanings* Shipping containers include** Crate** Wooden box...
Terminal, called Terminal XXI, started its operations in 2004 under a public service concession by the company PSA Sines (PSA – Port Singapore Authority).
With a staged, sustained development plan, Terminal XXI provides natural beds of 16 metres ZH, allowing the mooring of large container ships from intercontinental routes and of the ships with the respective connections by feeder. The aforementioned expansion plan is in progress, leading to the extension of the quay to 730 metres as early as 2010, and the installation of further super post-panamax gantry cranes, endowing it with a total capacity of 800,000 TEU per year.
Access
The Port of Sines offers excellent maritimeSea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
accessibility, with no restriction in terms of depth (natural sea bottoms with no need for dredging), providing unique conditions for the reception of large vessels
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
. This open sea port is sheltered by two breakwaters – West Breakwater
Breakwater
Breakwater may refer to:* Breakwater , a structure for protecting a beach or harbour* Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia* Breakwater , a funk and soul band from the 1970s...
(2.000 m N-S orientation) and the East Breakwater
Breakwater
Breakwater may refer to:* Breakwater , a structure for protecting a beach or harbour* Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia* Breakwater , a funk and soul band from the 1970s...
(2.200 m NW-SE orientation).
As far as land accessibility concerns, both the Port of Sines and the Industrial and Logistics Zone offer excellent road and rail connections, directly linked to the terminals and the industry settled, thus providing a prompt response to present traffic. In order to give a proper answer to the port’s strategic objective in terms of cargo handling (to double the volume of cargo handled until 2015), a plan is already under implementation, which will provide, suitable links to both Portuguese and Spanish hinterland (IC33 – Sines/Évora/Spain; IP8 – Sines/Beja/Spain; and rail connection Sines/Elvas/Spain).
ZALSINES
ZALSINES is an essential part of the “Portugal Logístico” (the country’s logisticLogistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
system), which, integrated within the port and in ZILS, is set up as a modern logistical platform with high strategic potential for value added services. It is settled in a vast area with logistical capability, with plots of land available, and being developed in a flexible and staged way. It is geared towards the installation of industrial and service companies, serviced by a road and rail system with large capacity and as part of the main multimodal axes of the Trans-European Transport Networks (Priority Axis n.º 16). The land allocated to the development of the ZAL at Sines covers two areas: one situated in the intra-port zone and the other one in the extra-port zone
Fishing and leisure ports
The fishing traditions of Sines go back centuries. The fishing harbour has been recently improved, namely by a tackle wharf, an unloading wharf, a slipway and several land facilities. It is formed by an inner basin sheltered by a breakwater which offers good protection for docking and anchoring fishing boats.The Sines Leisure Port is the only leisure port between Setúbal and Algarve and benefits from an intense yachting activity during the all year. It is an imperative stopover for the yachts travelling along the Portuguese coast, whether in national or international routes, the leisure port not only opens new perspectives to the town tourist exploitation, but to the all region as well.
See also
- List of deep water ports
- Railway stations in Portugal
- Transport in PortugalTransport in PortugalTransport in Portugal is well-developed and diversified. Portugal has a network of roads, of which almost are part of a 44 motorways system. Brisa is the largest highway management concessionaire. With 89,015 km2, Continental Portugal has 3 international airports located near Lisbon, Porto...