The President of the Regional Government of Madeira and the Regional Secretary for the Economy recently asked the Prime Minister to find an urgent solution to unblock the arrival and departure of cargo ships entering the port of Leixões, “as critical supply chains to the outermost regions would be affected at this important time of year,” said José Manuel Rodrigues in a press release.
Miguel Albuquerque stated that the shocking situation at the Port of Leixões is severely disrupting the Region’s supply chain, calling it a serious and unacceptable issue, unlike anything Madeira has ever faced.
In this sense, the President of the Madeiran Executive said the national government needed to intervene without delay, as this situation would generate serious problems for the island’s population.
In the message sent to Luís Montenegro, the Madeiran rulers warn of the negative impact of the entry into force of the new computer system that is blocking the customs clearance of goods and stress that if the situation is not resolved, there will be serious problems in the transport of goods to Madeira and the Azores.
Given the current situation, the Regional Government has asked that ships docking in Leixões and Lisbon be given priority to load containers bound for the Regions, ensuring the economy, businesses, and families aren’t affected during the festive season. Without this, Madeira’s end-of-year could be at risk due to the lack of goods expected this week.
This morning, the 28th of December, the President of the Regional Government assured that the situation that put the Autonomous Region of Madeira at risk of disruption in the supply of goods, following constraints with container ships coming from the Port of Leixões, has been unblocked. Miguel Albuquerque explained to journalists that the problem was resolved after talking to members of the mainland Government.
“It was a very embarrassing situation for the Region. Early on Christmas morning, I got in touch with the Prime Minister, who was abroad. Luckily, through working together, the different ministries prioritised all containers destined for Madeira.
Miguel Albuquerque said that two container ships are already on the way, which will allow the supply to be normalised. “We were almost at a loss of supply to the Region. It was an unthinkable and very difficult situation. At this moment, I can assure you that the situation is under control, although there may be some delays.
The President of Madeira publicly thanked the Prime Minister and expressed hope that similar situations will not be repeated, despite acknowledging that the new customs procedures may bring added difficulties.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
