ETE Group’s infrastructure will remove between 100 and 400 lorries from the city of Lisbon each day and prevent more than 1,000 tonnes of CO₂eq per year.
Lisbon, 7 July 2025 – The Castanheira do Ribatejo River Terminal Project was officially unveiled on Monday at an event attended by the Minister for Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz. It is a strategic investment in the region’s sustainability and logistical efficiency, which will remove hundreds of lorries from Lisbon city centre and reduce CO₂eq emissions by more than 1,000 tonnes per year.
“The Government values all infrastructure linked to exports, aware that this is a cornerstone of the Portuguese economy. The development of ports is an absolute national priority,” said Miguel Pinto Luz, Minister for Infrastructure and Housing. With an estimated initial investment of eleven million euros, the new port terminal marks a strategic step forward in intermodal freight transport and will serve as a new gateway to and from the Port of Lisbon, with a view to strengthening the entire region as a leading logistics hub. The Government, the Port of Lisbon and local authorities welcomed the project at the launch ceremony.
This infrastructure promotes river transport as an alternative to road transport, enabling a significant number of lorries to be taken off Lisbon’s access roads. In figures, each barge can carry up to a hundred times more containers than a lorry on a single journey, and it will be possible to operate up to four barges simultaneously. This represents a unique contribution to reducing the carbon footprint and to optimising transport safety and economic efficiency.
Around 85 per cent of the goods handled at the Port of Lisbon originate from or are destined for locations north of the River Tagus, which means that the Castanheira do Ribatejo River Terminal is an environmentally friendly logistics solution offering greater operational efficiency, thereby reducing costs for hauliers.
The terminal will cover an area of 2 hectares, including a berthing quay with access ramps, an electric crane and port equipment suitable for the operation. It will also have a container yard with capacity for 300 containers, as well as the facility to provide ship repair and maintenance services on site.
In the initial phase, river cargo handling is expected to exceed 2,500 tonnes per day, with an annual volume of between 20,000 and 70,000 TEU. It is estimated that, with the expansion of the terminal, cargo throughput could reach 200,000 TEU per year.
Companhia do Porto da Castanheira (CPC), Lda, the company responsible for the construction and management of the new river terminal, is the result of a strategic partnership between the ETE Group — with over 89 years’ experience in the maritime, port and river sectors — and the Pousadinha Group, a local business operator, which owns the land on which the new terminal is now being built. Its prime location on the north bank of the Tagus, 55 km from Lisbon and close to the logistics hubs of Lisboa Norte, Carregado and Azambuja, ensures strategic and rapid access by road and rail, complementing the river operations to which the new terminal will be dedicated.
The new river quay expands multimodal transport in Greater Lisbon, reduces road traffic and carbon emissions from the logistics system, and reinforces the importance of Castanheira do Ribatejo as an area of metropolitan economic development.
“Today we are embarking on a new phase of work with the Government, which recognises the importance of our municipal strategy for the entire region,” says Fernando Ferreira, Mayor of Vila Franca de Xira.
“With this project, the ETE Group and the Pousadinha Group are reinforcing their commitment to creating economic, social and environmental value, contributing to a more modern, sustainable and competitive port sector, as well as to the development of the Castanheira do Ribatejo region. The Castanheira do Ribatejo River Terminal represents a forward-looking solution for national logistics, linking Portugal and enhancing the regions. A national solution with a regional identity,” emphasise Luís Figueiredo, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the ETE Group, Pedro Vigouroux and João Folque, Pousadinha Group.