The town of Sines has an historical connection with the sea, which has always provided the local population with its main source of income. Even today, if we analyse most of the industries based in the municipality, we find that their activities are connected with the sea, more specifically with the Sines port and industrial complex. This strong connection can and should be expanded, diversified and extended into other areas, such as the research and the economic use of maritime resources.

In addition to being a strategic priority for the municipality, deepening this relationship with the sea is also a national policy that forms part of Portugal’s National Innovation Plan. Economists and academics consider this as a “maritime hyper-cluster” in which Portugal can assert itself on a global scale, given the extent of its Exclusive Economic Zone and the as-yet unexploited resources it contains.

Sines plays and will continue to play an important role in this area, as it is an ideal location for many activities connected with the sea. Advantages that make the municipality so attractive for these types of industries include:

-  A multifaceted port located at the intersection of several important sea-going routes

- Portugal’s leading port complex in terms of the total cargo handled by its terminals (solid bulk, liquid bulk, general cargo and containers)

- Portugal’s only liquid natural gas terminal

- The Alentejo’s main fishing port, including a significant frozen fish industry geared mainly to export

- The Alentejo’s only leisure port

- A campus where students and researchers of the University of Évora focus on marine biology studies. The university and the Sines Municipal Council have also signed an agreement to expand this campus and build a large-scale aquarium and maritime laboratory

- The municipality’s strong potential for the development of aquaculture, confirmed by studies and the fact that several production units are already operating in the district
- The tourism potential of the beaches, landscapes and natural beauty of the district’s coastline, which attract thousands of summer visitors every year

- Portugal’s main energy production centre