An algae (sargassum) cleaning operation took place again today inside the Port of Funchal, according to a statement from APRAM.
The operation mobilized the vessel Ancoreta and the semi-rigid Climarcost, a multipurpose crane, an open-top vehicle and eight members of APRAM and lasted for three hours.
According to the same source, seven cubic meters of sargassum were removed from Pier 1 at the Port of Funchal.
“Using the Enhancer E-B2100 equipment (a welded steel mesh collection basket), acquired by APRAM as part of the Oceanlit project, it was the first time that APRAM carried out sargassum cleaning by sweeping within the port basin”, reveals port administration.
APRAM adds that, “until now, cleaning operations have been carried out with human and technical resources placed on land, collecting algae using nets and other equipment”.
This time, the solution was to ‘sweep’ the water mirror inside the Port of Funchal, collecting the sargassum that would then be removed to a vehicle, which transported it to the São Martinho Fruit Growing Center, in Funchal.
Since the beginning of the year, the cleaning operations carried out by APRAM have involved a total of four vessels, as many vehicles, two cargo handling machines and 37 men. 62 cubic meters of sargassum have already been collected.
APRAM clarifies that the occurrence of this algae in the ocean is a natural phenomenon, which is more prevalent in tropical waters, such as those in the Caribbean, where there is a large concentration: the Sargasso Sea. With climate change and rising water temperatures, this phenomenon has spread across the Atlantic, reaching the Canary Islands, Azores and in recent months Madeira.
To respond to the phenomenon, the Regional Government created a multidisciplinary working group, which involves several regional departments (Economy, Sea and Fisheries; Health and Civil Protection; Agriculture and Environment), which together have worked to mitigate the effects of the occurrence of these algae. in the seas and beaches of the Region.
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