Public consultation open · Until 28 April 2026

What is happening to São Torpes Beach?

The sand is disappearing. The Port of Sines keeps expanding. A new public consultation is running — and it needs your voice.

Deadline 28 Apr 2026
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i. Introduction

A shoreline disappearing.

Satellite imagery shows the beach in 2003 and 2023. In recent years, the sandy area has been shrinking — the beach now practically ends at the Pedra Preta (black rock). This year-over-year decline will continue, or even worsen, if nothing is done.

ii. Twenty years

Before & after.

São Torpes Beach in 2003, with an extensive sandy shore Orthophoto
2003 Wide sand, stable shoreline
São Torpes Beach in 2023, with a reduced sandy shore Orthophoto
2023 Reduced sand, beach ends at the black rock
Source: Portugal Seen from the Sky — Direção-Geral do Território (geo4.dgterritorio.gov.pt)
01 The cause

Why is this happening?

The natural replenishment of sand carried by the sea along the Portuguese coast occurs mainly from North to South. When this replenishment is interrupted, sand accumulates to the North of the obstacle and gradually disappears to the South.

Terminal XXI has undergone several expansion phases, and the timeline correlates directly with the accelerated disappearance of the sand in São Torpes.

This phenomenon is no surprise. It has happened before at Figueira da Foz and the Port of Leixões — the APS (Port Authority of Sines) always knew this would happen.
02 Construction timeline

Three phases of Terminal XXI.

2004 Phase 1 — Completed

The first Terminal XXI expansion intervention.

2014 Phase 2 — Completed

Second expansion phase. From this point onwards, the sand loss becomes visibly severe.

2021–2028 Phase 3 — Ongoing

Expansion in progress, now joined by the new Vasco da Gama Terminal (TVG) project to the South.

03 Right now

What is happening right now?

In parallel with the Terminal XXI expansion works, the Port Authority of Sines intends to build yet another terminal, south of Terminal XXI, at Vale de Marim beach (Apocalipse). This new terminal will be named Terminal Vasco da Gama.

The TVG underwent a public consultation in 2018, which resulted in an Environmental Impact Statement with a favourable but conditional opinion. That consultation had little to no promotion among the local population, who remain unaware of the consequences of a new terminal or the expansion of the existing one.

Right now, a new public consultation is running — until 28 April — regarding the start of Phase 1 of the Vasco da Gama Terminal.

04 New consultation

Why a new consultation if there was one in 2018?

The 2018 Environmental Impact Statement imposed numerous conditions. This statement was set to expire at the end of this year. To buy time, the APS is now presenting an Environmental Compliance Report (RECAPE), with a new construction phasing.

This report focuses only on the new Phase 1: the landfill in the Vale de Marim (Apocalipse) beach area. With this report, the APS bypasses the need to address almost all conditions imposed in 2018, claiming they are not applicable to this specific phase (which is "only" a landfill), allowing them to start work without worrying about those requirements.

05 Urgency

Why is it important to take part?

Without public pressure, the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) will not oppose the start of the works. The APS will be able to delay addressing the environmental conditions to a later stage — when the outcome is uncertain.

Beyond worsening the state of São Torpes beach, the expansion of Terminal XXI and the creation of the Vasco da Gama Terminal will affect wave quality and jeopardise the practice of surfing.

Do we know of any compensatory work (environmental, social, or economic) carried out by the APS due to the expansion of Terminal XXI? Likely not. Without community pressure, there will likely be no initiative from the APS.
06 Alternatives

If we cannot stop it — what can still be done?

  • Demand preventative, effective and up-to-date sand replenishment measures.
  • Public pressure to ensure compliance with the 2018 Environmental Impact Statement conditions.
  • Continuous and accessible information for the population.
  • Greater APS support for the community, as compensation for the destruction of a public space that served thousands. Without an entry fee, accessible to all ages and social classes, São Torpes has represented for generations the ultimate democratic space.
  • APS funding for projects preserving the memory of São Torpes Beach — bibliography, documentaries (History of Surfing in Alentejo, 50 Years of São Torpes Beach, etc).
07 Grounds

Why are we disagreeing in the public consultation?

  1. Because the project changes are significant enough to require a new environmental assessment.
  2. Because this RECAPE pushes compliance with conditions to a later phase. Splitting these requirements across different phases dilutes responsibility and makes it harder to guarantee they are met.
  3. Because the need for a new terminal must be re-evaluated against the operational conditions of the existing terminal.
  4. Because the original 2018 Environmental Impact Statement is vague, outdated regarding proposed measures, and fails to address several points — specifically the social and cultural characterisation of São Torpes Beach.
08 Take part

Your voice, in three steps.

The public consultation is the formal channel to register your disagreement. It takes five minutes. It's done online. And it counts.

i.

Go to the portal

Visit participa.pt on the consultation page for the Vasco da Gama Terminal — Phase 1.

ii.

Register

Create an account with your name and email. It's quick, and unique to each consultation.

iii.

Submit

Select participar and send your contribution. You can use the sample text provided below.

Take part on participa.pt See sample text
09 Sample text

A starting point.

You can copy this text, adapt it to your own words, or write your own. The consultation requires the participation to be written in Portuguese — what matters is taking part.

Participação na Consulta Pública

RECAPE · Terminal Vasco da Gama — Fase 1

Venho, por este meio, manifestar a minha discordância em relação ao Relatório de Conformidade Ambiental com o Projeto de Execução (RECAPE) da Fase 1 do Terminal Vasco da Gama, pelas seguintes razões:

1. As alterações introduzidas ao projeto, nomeadamente o novo faseamento da obra, representam uma modificação substancial que, no meu entender, justifica a elaboração de uma nova Avaliação de Impacte Ambiental, em vez de um simples RECAPE.

2. O presente RECAPE desloca o cumprimento das condicionantes da Declaração de Impacte Ambiental de 2018 para fases posteriores da obra. Esta fragmentação dispersa responsabilidades, dificulta a fiscalização e compromete as garantias de cumprimento das medidas de mitigação previstas.

3. Entendo ser necessária uma reavaliação da necessidade de construção de um novo terminal, tendo em conta as actuais condições operacionais do Terminal XXI e o impacte cumulativo das sucessivas expansões portuárias sobre a costa a Sul.

4. A Declaração de Impacte Ambiental emitida em 2018, em fase de Estudo Prévio, é pouco detalhada, encontra-se desactualizada face às medidas actualmente propostas e é omissa em vários pontos — designadamente na caracterização social e cultural da Praia de São Torpes, espaço público democrático que há décadas serve a comunidade local e milhares de visitantes.

5. A degradação progressiva do areal de São Torpes, correlacionada com as sucessivas fases de expansão do Terminal XXI, é um facto observável e documentado. A aprovação de mais uma intervenção, sem medidas compensatórias efectivas e verificáveis, agravará de forma irreversível esta situação.

Por tudo o que fica exposto, solicito que seja rejeitado o presente RECAPE e que se proceda a uma nova Avaliação de Impacte Ambiental, com ampla divulgação pública e participação efectiva da comunidade.