The Directorate-General for Natural Resources, Security and Maritime Services (DGRM) has launched a tender for the implementation of the Sea Control Centre (CMAR), which will be located in the DGRM facilities at the Escola Náutica Infante D. Henrique Campus, in Paço De Arcos. The Tender Advertisement has already been published in the Diário da Republica and in the OJEU, with a base price of 1.4 million Euros, plus VAT, funded by the MAR2020 Operational Programme.

It is intended to implement a new control centre that improves and exploits the synergies of the instantiation of the state obligations in the monitoring and control of the national fishing fleet and the state obligations in the control of coastal maritime traffic and monitoring of ships of the Portuguese flag, maximizing the conditions of 24x7 operation, in a shared space and with the two services enjoying more means and better physical and technological infrastructures.

In this way, in addition to improving operating and supervision conditions, investments and operating costs are optimised through the sharing of communications and all hardware and services. The two control centres, which until now were in different locations, now exist in the same space, maintaining their complementary functions but sharing the same building, information, procedures, communications, supplies and the same Data Centre that was built from scratch for this mission.

Currently, the Fisheries Monitoring and Control Centre is located in Algés and the Mainland Maritime Traffic Control Centre in Paço D'Arcos, both operating under the responsibility of DGRM. The CMAR will be based on the Paço De Arcos control centre's space evolution, joining the two centres and allowing a better response to the Flag State and Coastal State obligations, within the European concept of Integrated Maritime Policy.

It is recalled that the EU Integrated Maritime Policy is a policy framework that aims to promote the sustainable development of all maritime activities and coastal regions, improving the coordination of policies concerning oceans, seas, islands, coastal and outermost regions and maritime sectors, and developing cross-cutting tools.

CMAR will also improve cooperation and data sharing with the Integrated Surveillance, Command and Control System (SIVICC) of the National Republican Guard (GNR), with the Maritime Search and Rescue Centre (MRCC) of the Navy, with the Air Force, among other national entities with competences or involvement in maritime affairs, as well as in the EU maritime information sharing framework (CISE).