Mozambique and Portugal strengthen cooperation in maritime space management

Moçambique and Portugal will strengthen cooperation in the management and management of maritime space, focusing on training, technical training, supervision and mapping, under a memorandum of understanding signed between the maritime authorities of both countries.

According to a note consulted today by Lusa, the agreement was initialled by the National Institute of the Sea (Inamar) and the Directorate-General for Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services (DGRM) of Portugal and also provides for the modernisation of services, maritime spatial planning and the prevention and fight against marine pollution.

The chairman of the Board of Directors of Inamar, Adolfo José Albino, said that mapping and maritime planning are priorities for Mozambique, which intends to take advantage of Portuguese experience to develop monitoring systems and delimit areas according to their respective uses.

“For Mozambique, mapping and maritime planning are the priority,” said Albino, quoted in the note, adding that the country already has legislation and regulations in this area and intends to advance its implementation with technical support from Portugal.

The responsible acknowledged that Mozambique still has work to do in mapping its coast and considered that cooperation will benefit from Portuguese experience, both in the technical component and in the formation of national frameworks.

The Secretary of State for Fisheries and the Sea of Portugal, Salvador Malheiro, said that the partnership should translate into concrete actions and announced that the two countries are preparing a fair, which may include a conference, to bring Portuguese shipowners and companies closer to the main Mozambican operators and promote business opportunities.

“ We are very focused on concrete actions, for the so-called pragmatism ", said Malheiro, defending that cooperation can contribute to create wealth in both countries. The Portuguese ruler added that Mozambique has the potential to become a maritime nation of excellence and that the partnership could also cover blue carbon and the economic recovery of the Exclusive Economic Areas.

As part of the work visit to Portugal, the Inamar delegation has also planned a visit to the Maritime Authority School. Malheiro stressed that the sea represents not only fisheries resources and biodiversity, but also “a huge source of wealth”.