"Ship Registration has quadrupled since 2014", said Miguel Albuquerque, speaking to journalists on the side lines of the annual seminar of the European Community Association of Ship Brokers and Agents (ECASBA), taking place at the Gare Marítimo do Porto do Funchal.

According to Miguel Albuquerque, in 2014, 232 ships were registered with MAR, and, at the moment, the number is 902.

These numbers, he highlighted, also have been “reflected in the numbers of the Madeira International Business Center”, representing around 4,000 direct qualified jobs in 2022, an increase of 17.6% compared to the previous year.

“In 2023 there was also an increase in the number of jobs and the number of companies, at the moment we have 2,643 registered entities”, he indicated.

Also according to the head of the Madeiran executive (PSD/CDS-PP), “there was an increase in registered ships, and in the industrial free zone there was an increase in companies and international services”.

“All sectors have grown”, he highlighted, considering that this data shows that “Madeira meets the need to diversify the economy” in the region, meaning “credibility, trust, security, and competitiveness”.

Despite Madeira registering an increase in cruise traffic, Miguel Albuquerque admitted that the Funchal port extension project is suspended, because the priorities are the construction of the new Madeira hospital and housing.

“It is not a priority and we do not have the capacity to start two large-scale works”, he argued, although recognising that it is a project that must be considered in the future.