The sinking of four old ships of the Portuguese Navy in Portimão waters will mark the beginning of the activities of the new underwater museum centre called Ocean Revival.
On August 5, the Portuguese Navy and Portimão Municipality signed a contract for the transfer of the decommissioned Navy ships – the oceanographic ship Almeida Carvalho, the frigate Hermenegildo Capelo, the corvette Oliveira do Carmo and the patrol vessel Zambezi.
These ships, which will be located three miles off the coast of Portimão and 30 metres deep, will provide accessible routes to underwater divers.
According to the municipality, the cleaning and preparation of the first ship to be sunk, the Zambezi, will take place at the shipyards of Portimão and it will go underwater
in September.
Portimão mayor Manuel da Luz said: “The sea is a resource of great importance for the Municipality. The Ocean Revival will be a unique museum and the sinking of the ships as artificial reefs will allow divers to explore the biodiversity existing in that area.”
Luís Sá Couto, owner of diving company Subnauta and responsible for the development of the project, said: “Portimão will become a mandatory stop for diving tourism. It is estimated that in the first 10 years around 620,000 divers and their families will visit the underwater museum.”
For more information, please contact Portimão Câmara on 282 470 785 or 282 470 837.
