Azores Safety and Security Report Wednesday 9 July 2025

 

By our correspondent in the Azoers

Santa Clara faces Wolverhampton in one of six pre-season games

Santa Clara will play six friendly matches in preparation for the new season, including against Farense, Louletano, Portimonense and English side Wolverhampton, the I League football club announced.

In a statement, the Azorean side said that the first friendly match will be against Louletano, on Wednesday, followed by matches against Wolverhampton (July 15), from the Premier League – in which the Portuguese José Sá, Toti Gomes and Rodrigo Gomes line up -, Farense (July 16) and Portimonense (July 19).

The club, which finished last season in fifth place in the I Liga, says that “Vasco Matos’s team will have two more matches, with the opponents to be announced later”.

The team left on Sunday for a two-week training camp in the Algarve, where they will continue their preparations for the new season, which will start with two games against Varazdin, counting towards the second qualifying round of the Conference League.

The first leg between the Azoreans and the fourth-placed team from the last edition of the Croatian league is scheduled for July 24, in Croatia, followed by the second leg on July 31, at home.

To attack the 2025/26 season, Santa Clara has already secured the signings of Thauan Lara, Henrique Pereira, Douglas Borel, Anthony Carter and Brenner Lucas, and the permanent acquisition of Wendel Silva, who was on loan from FC Porto.

The Azoreans will make their debut in the 2025/26 I Liga with a visit to Famalicão, in the first round of the competition, scheduled for the weekend of August 9th and 10th.

Former American military homes in Lajes begin to be rehabilitated by the Azorean executive

More than 90 houses left vacant by the US Air Force at the Lajes base, Terceira Island, in 2015, will begin to be restored, in an investment of 11.3 million euros, financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP)

The work, whose first stone was laid this Monday, has an execution period of 450 days, and is expected to be completed in October 2026.

Chamber proposes expanding minibus network to seven lines in Ponta Delgada

Proposal expands minibus coverage to the parishes of Relva, Arrifes, Fajã de Baixo, Fajã de Cima, São Roque and Livramento, including connections to the airport and beaches. Restructuring of the current minibus network is expected to go to public tender in 2026.

Lagoa Pools Host “Moon Baths”

The Lagoa Municipal Swimming Pool Complex, on the island of São Miguel, will host, on Thursday, between 9:00 pm and 11:00 pm, another edition of the “Banhos de Lua” initiative, which has free entry.

“This event offers a unique experience: diving under the light of the full moon and observing the beauty of the night sky through telescopes. This is a proposal that combines leisure, science and contact with nature, in a welcoming and safe environment”, according to the organization.

“Banhos de Lua” is an initiative developed by the Lagoa municipality in partnership with the Santana Astronomical Observatory – Azores (OASA) and CEFAL – Lagoa Environmental Education and Training Centre.

 

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 2nd July 2025

The Azores recorded more than 444.8 thousand overnight stays in tourist accommodation in May, an increase of 3.1% compared to the same period last year, according to data revealed today by the Regional Statistics Service (SREA).

“In May, 444.8 thousand overnight stays were recorded in all tourist accommodation establishments (hotels, local accommodation and rural tourism) in the Azores, a figure 3.1% higher than that recorded in the same month of the previous year”, reads the SREA Tourism Activity report, released today.

According to the document, the increase is higher than that recorded at national level (1.3%).

In the first five months of the year, the Azores exceeded one million overnight stays in tourist accommodation (1.4 million), an increase of 7.3% compared to the same period last year.

In May, the region recorded 136.5 thousand guests (up 5.2%), with an average stay of 3.26 nights, which increased by 2% year-on-year.

Residents abroad accounted for more than half of overnight stays in May (70.6%), totalling 313.9 thousand, 5.2% more than in the same period last year.

With 130.9 thousand overnight stays (29.4%), the national market registered a drop of 5.8%.

Cory’s shearwater is a bioindicator of marine pollution in the Atlantic, as proposed by Portugal

A proposal presented by Portugal for the adoption of the Cory’s Shearwater as a common bioindicator of floating plastic pollution in Region V of OSPAR (Wider Atlantic) was approved, in an initiative led by the Government of the Azores.

The new environmental indicator will allow the evaluation of the quantity, composition and temporal evolution of plastic ingested by juvenile shearwaters found dead during the period when they leave their nests.

This species, abundant in Macaronesia, appears as an alternative to the Arctic fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), used in other OSPAR regions, but absent in the southernmost latitudes, the Azorean executive added.

On the Regional Government’s website, it is stated that the Cory’s Shearwater “belongs to a group formed by several species of seabirds (Procellariiformes) that includes albatrosses, shearwaters (…) and storm-petrels. (…) The Cory’s Shearwater is the most characteristic seabird of the Azores and one of the oldest on the planet. Cory’s Shearwaters spend a large part of their lives at sea (pelagic birds), coming ashore only when it is time to breed, to build their nests, mate, incubate their eggs and care for their young.”

This is a proposal presented by Portugal for the adoption of the Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris borealis) as a common bioindicator of floating plastic pollution in Region V (Greater Atlantic).

It is led by the Regional Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariat for the Sea and Fisheries – Regional Directorate for Maritime Policies, with scientific support developed by Yasmina Rodríguez and Christopher Pham, researchers at the OKEANOS Institute for Marine Sciences Research (University of the Azores) and is the result of a monitoring program initiated in 2015, within the scope of the internationally recognized “SOS Cagarro” citizen science campaign.

In addition to the Cory’s Shearwater as a bioindicator, an environmental assessment threshold was also approved: a maximum of 20% of the birds analysed must contain more than four plastic particles in their stomachs, based on a minimum sample of 200 juvenile birds collected over five consecutive years.

It is now expected that the ministerial meeting will reaffirm the political commitment to the implementation of this new indicator, reinforcing regional collaboration and contributing to the objectives of the Environmental Strategy for the Northeast Atlantic 2030 (NEAES 2030)”.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 18th June 2025

Petition for an increase in the regional addition to the national minimum wage

The Union of Workers in the Manufacturing, Food, Commerce and Office, Hotel, Tourism and Transport Industries of the Azores delivered a public petition to the president of the regional parliament on Monday calling for an increase in the regional addition to the national minimum wage.

In a press release, the union said that the petition has 3,900 signatories and “is not just a piece of paper with names, it is the collective voice of thousands of workers, who yearn for a decent wage”.

“We cannot ignore the importance of the regional increase in the national minimum wage in the fight against poverty, particularly working poverty. In the current context, in which the regional labour market is based on a low-wage model, having a job is no longer enough to stave off poverty,” it is stated.

São Miguel Airport Terminal to be expanded by 30%

The terminal at Ponta Delgada Airport, in São Miguel, will undergo expansion works, in order to have greater disembarkation capacity.

The Ponta Delgada airport terminal will undergo works in 2026 that aim to expand the air space by around 30% to increase disembarkation capacity and to add new disembarkation gates.

Azores detect case of Monkeypox infection in non-resident patient

The Azores have detected a case of Monkeypox virus infection (mpox) in a non-resident person, and the region is monitoring close contacts, revealed the regional director of Health, Pedro Paes.

“The authorities initiated all the necessary surveillance and epidemiological investigation procedures with close contacts and all necessary actions were taken.”

Shuttle service to Lagoa do Fogo returns on June 15th

The shuttle service to access points of interest in the Fogo Volcano visiting area will return on June 15, with this service ending on September 30.

According to a press release from the Government of the Azores, the shuttle will operate between 9:00 am and 7:00 pm, every day of the week, including national, regional and municipal holidays, and will be free for residents of the Azores and will cost 5 euros for non-residents aged six and over.

During the aforementioned period, access to the road “between Caldeira Velha (Ribeira Grande) and Casa da Água (Lagoa) will be restricted to all vehicles, except those belonging to tourist entertainment companies, travel agencies, taxis and resident citizens”, explains the regional executive.

The buses will depart every 30 minutes from each of the bases and passengers, “with the same ticket, can decide to do just one or both routes, get off the bus at one of the stops and resume the journey whenever they wish”.

Thus, the Red Line starts at Caldeira Velha (Ribeira Grande), passes through the Miradouro da Bela Vista, Pico da Barrosa, Miradouro da Lagoa do Fogo and returns to Caldeira Velha.

The Green Line starts at Casa da Água (Lagoa), passes through Pico da Barrosa, Miradouro da Lagoa do Fogo and returns to Casa da Água.

Each route is expected to last around 60 minutes. The actual journey time will depend on the number and time of departures of each user on the chosen route.

Tickets can be purchased in advance online, via the link https://lagoadofogo.pt/ , and at tourist establishments on the island of São Miguel that are members of the respective sales system.

The press release also states that tourists travelling individually or in groups, independently, have at their disposal the “car parks at Caldeira Velha or Casa da Água and, from there, can use the shuttle service provided. Residents who wish to use this service, “can do so free of charge, by purchasing their ticket in advance”.

Tourist entertainment companies and travel agencies, which offer tours that include the Fogo Volcano Visiting Area (including the Lagoa do Fogo viewpoint), as well as taxis, do not need to use the shuttle service, having at their disposal the car parks along the route, subject to the conditions of use.

In total, the Secretariat for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures provides 200 free parking spaces, namely, 101 in the Caldeira Velha car park, 60 in the car park next to Casa da Água and 48 in the short-term car park, at the Lagoa do Fogo viewpoint. (the latter intended for tour operators, travel agencies, taxis and residents).

It should be noted that, in 2024, 61,400 tickets were sold, an increase of 3.8% compared to the previous year.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 11th June 2025

Four earthquakes with magnitudes between 2.6 and 3.3 felt on the island of São Miguel

Four earthquakes with magnitudes between 2.6 and 3.3 on the Richter scale were felt around 6:00 pm local time on the 9th of JUne in São Miguel, in the Eastern group of the Azores, reported the Azores Seismo-volcaeic Information and Surveillance Centre (CIVISA).

According to CIVISA, the tremors were recorded at 05:54 local time (06:54 in Lisbon), 10:55, 12:02 and 12:04.

The first earthquake had a magnitude of 3.3 and the following, in order, 2.7, 3.1 and 2.6.

The earthquakes had their epicentres south-southwest of Faial da Terra and south-southeast of Ribeira Quente, in the municipality of Povoação.

According to CIVISA, the four tremors were felt with maximum intensity III and III/IV (Modified Mercalli scale) in the municipality of Povoação and the most intense (3.3 on the Richter scale) was also felt in the municipalities of Vila Franca do Campo and Ponta Delgada (with intensity II/III).

The earthquakes are part of the seismic activity recorded since Wednesday south of the island of São Miguel, which “has been marked by low magnitude events, located at sea, roughly between 10 and 20 kilometres south of the municipality of Povoação”.

Azores Seismo-volcaeic Monitoring and Information Centre has a new portal

The Azores Seismo-volcaeic Information and Surveillance Centre (CIVISA) has a new internet portal in operation, in an experimental phase, to disseminate information related to seismo-volcaeic activity in the region, it was announced.

The portal, created in partnership with the Institute of Volcanology of the University of the Azores (IVAR), is available at www.civisa.pt and “will function as a redundant and temporary system until the definitive solution coordinated with the Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service of the Azores for IVAR/CIVISA is concluded”.

CIVISA said in a statement that the new online portal “is accessible from all over the country and abroad, overcoming the security restrictions that prevented access to the old portal from outside the country”.

In March of this year, the Regional Government of the Azores expressed its willingness to increase CIVISA’s funding, to ensure an “excellent” service, after problems were reported in accessing the website, which has been in operation for 15 years.

TAP inaugurates new air route between Terceira Island and São Francisco

The new air link between Terceira Island and San Francisco (USA), operated by the airline TAP, as of today, brings the Azores and the diaspora closer together and boosts tourism, considered the vice-president of the Azorean Government.

TAP inaugurated this Tuesday the connection between Terceira Island and San Francisco, in the United States of America, which will continue until September 17th with a weekly frequency, departing on Tuesdays and returning on Wednesdays, provided by A330neo aircraft, with capacity for around 298 passengers.