New tender seeks to maintain maritime supplies to Flores

The Government of the Azores has authorised a new public tender to charter a vessel for regular freight transport to Flores. The procedure, which will also be published in the Official Journal of the European Union, has a base price of €7.5 million.

The decision addresses the continuing constraints affecting Lajes das Flores harbour. Damage to port and port-support infrastructure, linked to Hurricane Lorenzo and later to Depression Efrain, has limited the regularity of sea freight services to the island.

An earlier tender, launched with a base price of €5.94 million, received no bids and was not awarded. The Region has now revised the amount to reflect international market conditions for vessels with the technical characteristics required for the operation.

The planned contract will run for two years, with the option of a further one-year extension. The resolution gives the procedure urgent status because the current charter ends on 16 October 2026, while supply services are expected to rely on this arrangement until the new quay is completed.

Continuity of the service matters to Flores residents, retailers, businesses and public services, for whom maritime links are essential to receiving goods and freight. The new tender is intended to prevent a logistics interruption on one of the Azores’ westernmost islands.