Lisbon, Oct. 9, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal has signed a bilateral agreement with Indonesia with a view to integrating workers from that country into the Portuguese fisheries sector, it was announced on Friday.

«The Portuguese fisheries sector currently has a significant number of Indonesian workers, whose contribution is essential to ensuring the operation of various vessels and guaranteeing the supply of fish. It was against this backdrop that Portugal and Indonesia undertook a lengthy negotiation process which culminated in the signing of this agreement», the Ministry of Agriculture and the Sea announced in a statement.

Through the mutual recognition of maritime certificates, these professionals are permitted to join the crews of Portuguese vessels.

The agreement also provides greater flexibility regarding the composition of crews, «allowing them to be made up of workers of Indonesian nationality, with the exception of the boat captain».

The Government said this is «an important step» towards creating the conditions for those working at sea to do so safely and legally.

«If we did not have an Indonesian workforce in Portugal, we would have 300 to 400 vessels that would have to suspend operations and forgo around €50 million in annual turnover,» warned Salvador Malheiro, Secretary of State for Fisheries and the Sea, as quoted in the same press release.

The agreement was signed on Tuesday and announced today by the Government.

PE/AYLS // AYLS

Lusa