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It was a historic moment for Hub Azul Portugal and for the national Blue Economy. After overcoming several challenges, construction began on the Hub Azul Leixões – Polo I ocean basin, a state-of-the-art infrastructure for testing and developing ocean technology.
With an investment of over €12 million, financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), this facility will be one of the largest in Europe, placing Portugal at the forefront of innovation and competitiveness in the maritime sector.
The launch ceremony took place at the Cruise Terminal of the Port of Leixões and was attended by several prominent figures, including:
- Lídia Bulcão, Secretary of State for the Sea
- Marta Pontes, Councillor for the Matosinhos City Council
- Marisa Lameiras da Silva, Chair of the Strategic Management Board of Rede Hub Azul
- João Claro, Chair of the Board of INESC TEC
- Hugo Lopes, Director of Sustainability at APDL
- Ana Paula Mucha, Director of CIIMAR
- José Coutinho Sampaio, Executive Director of INEGI
- Gonçalo Faria, Manager of Rede Hub Azul Portugal
- Pedro Gonçalves, Engineer at Tecnifeira – Engenharia e Construção, S.A., the company responsible for carrying out the work
The moment culminated with the delegation visiting the site of the intervention, where the first stone was symbolically laid, marking the beginning of a strategic infrastructure for research, innovation and technological development in the field of the Blue Economy.
The Leixões Blue Hub – Pole I thus reinforces Portugal’s commitment to sustainable growth based on knowledge, innovation and the enhancement of the ocean as a strategic national and European asset.