The Port of Lisbon loses the largest shipping operator of the world.
The Port of Lisbon is at risk of becoming obsolete.
The president of the Shipping Agents Association believes
that the withdrawal of the Danish group Maersk from the Port of Lisbon
"is a loss for the country" and calls into question the viability of the institution.
Antonio Belmar da Costa reacted, speaking to Portuguese news agency Lusa,
about the news published today, by the Economic Daily News,
that the Maersk Group, the world's largest operator,
announced to its customers and partners,
that it will abandon operations at the Port of Lisbon.
"The association has known, since last week,
that the group would leave the Port of Lisbon.
"We are very sorry for the way in which the situation is evolving.
This is a disaster for Lisbon",
said the president of the Association of Shipping Agents of Portugal (AGEPOR).
The Economic Journal today,
said that this is already the "second operator
among the club of the world's biggest shipowners,
who used to call at the Port of Lisbon and that will leave or will no longer do so,
after the German Hapag-Lloyd Group, exchanged the capital,
for the Port of Leixões, in Oporto,
for the duration of the strike by the dockworkers."
In the opinion of Antonio Belmar da Costa, this situation is not new,
since the Port of Lisbon has, over the years, not given any guarantee of stability.
"You get to this stage and we have often cases of strikes.
The worst is that we do not see an end to this.
It´s more than obvious that shipowners have lost confidence and patience,
and they are gradually leaving the Port of Lisbon
and it hasn´t only been Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd who have left two weeks ago.
There have been several other operators who have stopped
calling at the Port of Lisbon", he said.
According to Antonio Belmar da Costa,
the whole situation at the Port of Lisbon has had a ripple effect.
"This has put into question the viability of the Port of Lisbon.
It is an ongoing process, not a sudden decision.
It is destroying the image of the Port of Lisbon
and then to rehabilitate it, will be terrible", he said.
According to the official, there has to be "common sense"
and the Trade Unions have to
"realize that the strategy that has been followed,
will also jeopardize the dockworkers' jobs."
Antonio Belmar da Costa also warned of
the damage the situation is causing Portugal,
since some of the cargo which should enter the capital's Port
"is diverted away from Portugal" and goes to other countries.
"They are emptying the Port of Lisbon
without having the notion of the economic value
that it has for the region and for the country," he said.
Contacted by the Lusa Agency,
the Dockers Union referred to a later commentary of the current situation.
The Economic Daily indicated in today's edition,
that the group into which Maersk is integrated, the AP Moeller Group,
is one of the potential investors in the project for the container terminal
of the Port of Lisbon, which the previous government planned for Barreiro.
This intention, the paper says, may be at risk,
seeing that Maersk is bound to leave the Port of Lisbon,
due to the strike by dock workers, which began in November
and only ends on December 31st,
against the "unilateral employer statement about the expiry
of the collective agreement in force."
Some commentaries to this news item:
"Congratulations to the CGTP and the PCP.
Now António Costa, will take Portugal to the bottom".
"The clashes against the reality has already arrived.
Just as well, for maybe the people will start to wake up to reality
and realize that the Socialism of the 90s has gone,
and that this socialist-marxist-leninist government
will always be subjected to all demands imposed
by the radical communist trade unions.
What is happening in Portugal,
is a real outrage, a shame and a lie".
"From one strike to another strike, until the final victory! ..
In the unemployment line of the social security".
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