The pier and the dock in the bay of Câmara de Lobos were the subject of rehabilitation work, worth 205 thousand euros, under the responsibility of the Administration of Ports of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (APRAM, SA), a work that benefits the bay and allows the simultaneous operation of fishing and tourism activities.
“The Câmara Lobos bay has an environment that is greatly appreciated by tourists and Madeirans, and our concern was this: Enhance that area, providing it with more and better conditions for users, whether of the pier or the deck, reinforcing its attractiveness in terms of landscape”, explains the president of the APRAM board of directors, Paula Cabaço, in a press release.
According to the same source, the work was carried out in conjunction with the local authority.
The intervention must have two components: inspection and discipline of the embankment area used by vessel owners and another for construction work. Regarding the first, it comes after APRAM flagged the existence of 51 vessels, placed without authorization and justification in areas designated for temporary docking.
“This is an abusive occupation, as there is no authorization, and given the state of deterioration and abandonment of some vessels, it not only gave an image of degradation to that space, but also conditioned the space for owners who really needed to make small repairs and maintenance on their vessels”, explains Paula Cabaço, remembering that the regulation for the use and occupation of the boathouse was approved in 2018.
APRAM said, in the same statement, that it notified the owners it managed to identify, establishing a deadline for the vessels to be removed, which resulted in the voluntary departure of around 75% of the vessels initially flagged. The remaining vessels were mostly removed by the port authority in conjunction with their owners and with the support of the Municipality of Câmara de Lobos.
Paula Cabaço highlights “the great spirit of collaboration of everyone involved in this operation, vessel owners, the APRAM team and the Municipality, which was decisive for its success”.
In relation to the project, the work carried out by APRAM focused on the pier, which showed natural signs of degradation, as it was exposed to sea disturbances, and on the pedestrian walkway. The area was repaved and rehabilitated, in work that included the repair of the access stairs to the sea, the installation of new metal guards and the rehabilitation of the existing ones, and the repair of the access wall to the pier.
Paula Cabaço explains that the project also served to reorganize the wet area, similar to what has been done on other piers in the Region.
“Floating walkways, an articulated bridge, stairs, bollards and lighting points were installed, which will improve the activities of maritime-tourist companies in that bay”, says the person responsible for APRAM.