Matosinhos, Portugal, Aug. 19, 2025 (Lusa) - The government plans to invest €931 million in the port of Leixões over the next 10 years, with the construction of a new container terminal on the north pier, according to the Porto 5+ national strategy.
According to the strategy, whose cabinet resolution was published last week, of the €931 million in investment planned by 2035, €219 million will come from the port authority or EU funds, and €712 million from private companies.
"In the Porto of Leixões, capacity is expected to increase by 10 million tonnes. The biggest increases in capacity will occur in containerised cargo with the new North Container Terminal, and in roll-on roll-off cargo," reads the cabinet resolution published on Tuesday.
At stake is the intention to "build a new quay and expand the embankments at the North Container Terminal, through the launch of a public tender", the "expansion of the quay and embankment for roll-on roll-off cargo" to the south, the "conversion of the oil terminal and new inspection centre" or the modernisation of the general cargo and dry bulk terminals and the alignment of the quay wall.
In addition to various investments from an environmental point of view, such as the "installation of systems to produce and supply green energy to ships", or the development of rail terminals and "structuring the Leixões logistics platform", it is also planned to "modernise urban spaces, especially with the municipality of Matosinhos", rearranging "the port beltway, facilitating Porto-city coexistence".
€72 million is earmarked for the “logistics platform and railway in the port of Leixões” and €93 million for the “integration of the port of Leixões with Matosinhos”.
"In the Porto of Leixões, the aim is to reach a throughput of 20 million tonnes (+35%) and one million TEU [unit of measurement equivalent to a 20-foot container] (+40%) by 2035, with notable increases in general break-bulk cargo, roll-on roll-off cargo, containerised cargo and solid and liquid bulk," the cabinet resolution also states.
New concessions are also planned for the container terminal, general cargo, and roll-on roll-off, with investments of €430 million, €85 million, and €50 million respectively, with capacities of 1.6 million TEU, 4.5 million tonnes, and 3.0 million tonnes respectively.
In 2024, the port of Leixões reduced its cargo handled by 2% compared to 2023, from 14.7 million tonnes to 14.4 million, losing its leadership of the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula to the port of A Coruña, in Galicia.
The government's goal is also to reach "the movement of 260,000 cruise ship passengers", after the figure was 196,000 in 2024.
Lusa questioned the Administration of the Ports of Douro, Leixões and Viana do Castelo (APDL) and the Matosinhos City Council about the planned investments and is awaiting a response.
The Porto 5+ strategy, to promote growth in the port sector over 10 years, provides for investment of €4 billion, 75% of which will be private, and the launch of 15 new concessions, the government announced on 30 July.
It is also planned to launch 15 new concessions by 2035 at the national level.
JE/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
