Azorean Resources
The Azores are, in several economic respects, Portugal’s golden nest egg. Here is a glimpse of why:
“Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Portugal submitted a proposal in 2009 to extend its jurisdiction over the seabed and subsoil beyond the 200 nautical miles of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), hoping to add another 2.15 million square kilometers to its area. Unlike the EEZ, which grants jurisdiction over both the water column and the seabed, an extended continental shelf grants jurisdiction exclusively over the seabed and subsoil. (GaCS/GM)
“On an underwater mountain in the Atlantic Ocean lies a treasure of rare minerals. A team of researchers from the United Kingdom’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) identified a rocky crust extraordinarily rich in rare minerals on the slopes of the mountain, 500 kilometers from the Canary Islands. Samples brought to the surface revealed concentrations of a rare substance called tellurium 50,000 times higher than those previously found on land. Tellurium, commonly used in metal alloys, is also used in advanced types of solar panels.
“The underwater mountain, named Tropic, rises 3,000 meters from the seabed, with its summit 1,000 meters below the surface. Researchers from the NOC used underwater robots to examine the four-centimeter-thick crust of fine-grained rock covering the mountain. Bram Murton, leader of the expedition exploring Tropic, told the BBC that he had expected to find abundant minerals there, but had never imagined concentrations so high. ‘This crust is incredibly rich, and that is what makes these rocks so extraordinarily special and valuable as a resource,’ he explained. Murton estimates that the mountain’s 2,670 tonnes of tellurium amount to one twelfth of total world consumption.”
Portugal already possesses equipment for deep-sea research through the EMEPC, the Mission Structure for the Extension of the Continental Shelf. “The extended continental shelf will add more seabed to the seas of the Azores and Portugal. It will also confer sovereignty over a vast expanse of ocean floor, which further justifies an adaptive evolution of our model of autonomy…” (Filipe Porteiro, Regional Director for Maritime Affairs).
This matter should concern us profoundly, for it touches our deepest interests as islanders. And surely we cannot be expected to beg the lords of the Lisbon fiefdom for special favors while they keep our autonomy in a straitjacket. The sea is the Azoreans’ great asset in the near future. If Portugal chooses to disregard fair compensation for whatever is taken from Azorean waters, we may even have to appeal to international bodies. After all, it is thanks to the Azores that Portugal will possess one of the largest underwater territories in the world.
Adapting autonomy to the demands of our time, so that the Azorean people may also benefit from the immense submarine wealth at their doorstep, is an urgent duty for island politicians of every persuasion.
Beyond the sea as a privileged resource, Azorean airspace covers 5,180,000 km²—the Santa Maria Oceanic Flight Information Region, encompassing the Azores and a vast area of the North Atlantic. By comparison, the Lisbon Flight Information Region, covering mainland Portugal and Madeira, extends over 671,000 km². Azorean airspace is thus more than seven times larger than that of mainland Portugal and Madeira combined.
The revenue generated by transatlantic air traffic crossing Azorean airspace has never been disclosed. Nor has NAV Portugal, which controls that traffic from Santa Maria under the responsibility of the government of the Republic, provided an accounting. We are speaking of millions upon millions each year, paid by airlines operating between Europe, the Americas, and the rest of the world. Every party, along with its island branches, deftly avoids the political secrecy surrounding these many streams of revenue.
José Soares is a contributing writer from Azorean newspapers, as well as newspapers in the diaspora.