Welcome to the Official page of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic

Mister Chairman of the Board of Lisnave,
Madam Mayor of Setúbal,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am visiting Lisnave as a matter of courtesy.

In the presence of the efforts, success and results that this company has achieved in the last ten years, the visit of the President of the Republic is an act of recognition and almost an act of righteousness.

In effect, everyone knows how much I have insisted on the need for the Portuguese economy to obtain more exports and how I have endeavoured to call attention to the companies which are singled out by their export achievement, so that they are viewed as an example.

And Lisnave, from the second half of 1997 until now, has repaired more than 1,500 foreign ships, corresponding to 1,360 million euros in exports. That is, Lisnave is a very powerful exporter, with a rate of exported product of approximately 97%.

For this reason alone, Lisnave, with an activity creating a National Added Value of approximately 95%, is extremely important not just for the Setúbal region, where it is inserted, but also at national level.

In reality, since Lisnave is the largest naval repair company in Europe and one the five largest in the world, it can even be stated that we are looking at a world giant and that there aren’t many Portuguese companies that may be placed in this category.

On the other hand the company has maintained a high level of direct and indirect employability, which corresponds to the use of an average workforce of 2,500 employees in the shipyard.

Lisnave, which in the past was a jewel in the crown of Portuguese industry and economy, is now once again a worldwide “case study” in the area it operates and is very important for the country’s economy.

Essentially, it is the return of Lisnave to the league of honour of Portuguese exporting companies that my presence here intends to recognize and show up.

This visit could not have occurred at a better time, since the tenth anniversary of the commissioning of the Hydro-lift is being celebrated this year, the most innovatory docking complex of this shipyard, which we had the opportunity to visit and was built with Portuguese know how and engineering. It is still today the most advanced system in Europe for carrying out ship repairs. With its use, a much higher degree of environmental preservation is achieved than in traditional docking systems.

The tenth anniversary of the transfer of Lisnave’s activity to this Mitrena shipyard is equally celebrated this year.

This decision and the remaining strategic options determined for the company at the beginning of this ten year period have been shown to be adequate and are a clear example that even in an extremely difficult situation – as was the case with Lisnave at the time – it is possible for a Portuguese company to reinvent itself and successfully become adapted to the new realities.

To my knowledge it will unfortunately not be in this year of 2010 that Lisnave’s target market will provide signs of a clear recovery. The retraction in the world economy led to a marked shrinking of international trade and, consequently, to a strong decrease in demand for maritime transport and, deriving from this, a fall in the naval repair market.

This fact demands careful attention and will certainly oblige containment of costs and expenses, but these must clearly safeguard the company’s social responsibilities, as well as the spirit of fairness that it is urgent to promote in both the world and the Portuguese economies.

It is equally important to understand that naval industry, such as the aircraft industry, is a strategic industry for the countries that detain it, since it is a qualifying industry that includes knowledge and technology.

Portugal, for the best of reasons, must understand the great strategic relevance of naval industry for the country, as a dynamic factor of innovation in the maritime sector.

But we must recognize that in the last few decades no public policy has existed to promote naval industry and encourage domestic acquisitions by national shipping, which has a diminutive size today, but should achieve growth in the national interest.

The importance of Lisnave and of naval repair for Portugal does not solely result from its high incorporated national value or rate of export, and not even from the jobs generated that are so necessary in the current environment.

It results from the strategic importance which it has for a whole maritime cluster.

I am very concerned and have said so insistently, that a country such as Portugal is unable to take advantage of its largest natural resource which is the sea.

It was for this reason that in my speech celebrating April 25th I asked myself what justification could exist for a county that has at its disposal such a formidable natural resource does not exploit it in all its angles, as happens in all other coastal European countries.

For this reason also I assert that Portugal has to rethink its relationship with the sea. It is essential that we create conditions and encourage the economic agents to invest in all the sectors that link Portugal economically to the sea.

Lisnave’s recent path is a complete demonstration that it is possible for Portugal to once again possess a developed maritime sector.

It is not just the meritorious recovery of Lisnave, which returned it to the position of a worldwide known company in naval repair, that proves to us that we can develop maritime activities in our country, but also its international customers indicate that Portugal’s geographic situation can after all be an advantage and not a limitation, at least when we consider the maritime cluster.

Lisnave, with its clientele from all parts of the world, is the final proof that Portugal, due to its location and its position as a coastal country, is not the peripheral country that we insist in believing we are.

It must thus be concluded that the naval construction and repair industries are key industries for the remaining maritime industries.

For this reason they are equally key issues for a national strategy for the sea.

Because of all this we must keenly salute the work which is being developed by the Setúbal County Council, jointly with several bodies connected with the tourism sector and nautical activities, with the objective to set up a “Sea Centre of the Sado Estuary”.

On the other hand, I will be sponsoring next week a Conference on Maritime Ports and Transport, organized by the Lisbon Chamber of Commerce, jointly with several entrepreneurial confederations and organizations. This initiative and others under preparation are an indication that the sea is once again being viewed in Portugal under the prism of the economy and as a basic resource for the creation of value and promotion of development.

I did not want to end this speech without addressing a word to the fortunate association of Leitão Jewellers – the oldest jewellers in Europe still operating within the same family – with Lisnave, which climaxed in the creation of a number of jewels inspired on a great shipyard open to the sea and to the world, and in the launching today of the Book «Lisnave, a jewel of Portuguese Industry».

This joint initiative, which was fortunately also sponsored by my predecessor, Dr. Jorge Sampaio, tells me that we are correct when we propose starting on the rediscovery of Portugal’s geography and once again view the sea as the main trade mark and image of our country.

My congratulations to both companies and to the designers of such prestigious jewels.

Thank you very much.