Signed Cooperation Agreement for the Mapping of the Douro River

On 29 May, the Institutional Cooperation Agreement was signed between the Institute of Mobility and Transport, I.P. and the Hydrographic Institute for the production of official hydrographic cartography of the Douro River Navigable Way.

The Via Navigá do Rio Douro has more than 200 kilometers of extension allowing, since 1990, navigation from Barra to Barca de Alva, in the international Douro. Navigation has shown a growing trend, mainly in the area of tourist navigation, with ships that are almost 80 meters long and carry 350 passengers, and there are currently more than 176 tourist vessels and several freight and pleasure transport.

The purpose of this Agreement is to contribute to the safety of navigation in this Navigable Way, through official hydrographic cartography, using hydrographic surveys to ensure full research of the obstructions of the fund.

The Agreement covers, over a period of four years, the following work:

carrying out leveling, coordination of support points and installation of tide graphs;

topographical survey of important structures for hydrographic mapping;

carrying out the hydrographic survey of the entire Navigable Way with high resolution systems and ensuring full fund research;

Redefinition of the navigation channel tracing based on the hydrographic data collected and preparation of the corresponding River Signaling Project, suitable for safe navigation;

Production of Nautical Letters and Electronic Navigation Letters, covering the entire Navigable Way, in accordance with the standards of the International Hydrographic Organization.

Study of the implementation of a real-time observation and diffusion system, of the instantaneous water height at the locations to be selected.

GPS monitoring and improvement study Differential along the entire Via.

This Agreement will thus contribute to the safety of navigation and hence to the safeguarding of human lives and the development of the economy associated with this route of navigation.