Figueira da Foz port launches €9.1M dredging tender after winter crisis
The Administration of the Port of Figueira da Foz has opened a public tender worth €9.114 million excluding VAT for maintenance dredging, according to an announcement published in the Diário da República. The contract, which carries no European Union funding, sets an execution period of 24 months after work is formally commissioned.
Bids must be submitted by 26 October 2026.
Why the port needs constant dredging
The port, located where the Mondego River meets the Atlantic, faces constant silting from natural sediment movement — a phenomenon that compromises safe navigation. Project documents describe a fluvial port subject to "very active sediment dynamics" that require constant monitoring of the seabed and regular restoration of navigational depths.
Maintenance dredging normally takes place between May and October. Emergency work outside this window happens only when navigation safety is at risk.
What the contract covers
The tender covers 1.16 million cubic metres of sediment — enough to fill roughly 460 Olympic swimming pools. The material will be deposited at sea south of the south breakwater. Most sediments are classified as "clean", allowing deposition in water to reinforce coastal drift and minimise erosion on southern beaches.
A port running at 3% capacity
The tender comes after a difficult winter. From December 2025, the port could not operate at full capacity due to unexpected silting and storms. By January 2026, vessels with draughts exceeding 5.5 metres could not enter — something not seen in around 20 years.
In March 2026, the Figueira da Foz Port Community reported operators and maritime agencies were accumulating significant losses, with ships and trucks diverted to other ports. The facility operated at just 2% to 3% of capacity for three consecutive months. Emergency dredging resumed in March to restore navigability, removing substantial sediment volumes.
Environmental context and controversy
The operation is not without critics. Previous dredging and deepening work was suspended in January 2026 following complaints from fishing organisations and a suspected breach of environmental impact rules. Work had been occurring outside the recommended May-to-November window, potentially interfering with migration of shad and lamprey species.
The Portuguese Environment Agency (Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente) intervened to halt what it termed an environmental violation, while the local council of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) criticised methods used in port deepening works.
The underlying issue is structural: the extension of the north breakwater, completed in 2011, has been described by academics as a strategic error that caused excessive sand accumulation to the north and erosion to the south at beaches such as Cova-Gala, Costa de Lavos and Leirosa.
Separately, the Government guaranteed funding of approximately €27.7 million in December 2024 to transfer three million cubic metres of sand from the sea off Figueira da Foz to combat coastal erosion on southern beaches, with work expected to begin this year. In July 2026, Figueira da Foz Municipal Council also opened a tender for dredging at Portinho da Gala, valued at €114,000, to improve access for local fishermen.
What this means for the port
For a facility that handles cargo, fishing vessels and leisure craft, the dredging programme is essential infrastructure maintenance. The two-year timeline suggests authorities are planning sustained intervention rather than a one-off fix. Residents and businesses dependent on maritime access will watch whether the work stays within environmental windows this time — and whether it restores capacity before winter weather returns.
