The Direção de Faróis (Lighthouse Authority), or DF, is the Portuguese technical authority for maritime signalling and positioning. Created by a decree on 23 May 1924, in response to the significant increase in the number of lighthouses and maritime signalling systems, its objectives were to centralise responsibility for all Aids to Navigation in Portugal and oversee the management of lighthouse staffing. Initially based in Caxias in 1926, it moved on 8 July 1946 to the facilities of the extinct Grupo de Defesa Submarina da Costa (Coastal Submarine Defence Group), in Paço de Arcos, where it is still located today. To effectively fulfil its mission, this hundred- -year-old organisation has 35 military, 44 militarised and 18 civil personnel, in addition to 104 dedicated lighthouse keepers, distributed across a network of 30 lighthouses on the mainland, 16 in the Azores and 7 in Madeira. Since 1961, the DF has also been in charge of the Building of Command and the School of Lighthouse Keepers.
The DF currently runs and maintains the coastal maritime signalling network, as well as the national differential positioning network DGPS. It also undertakes studies for the creation, suppression, or modification of aids to navigation, and the inspection of maritime, coastal, and port signalling systems, to ensure their compliance with international guidelines. Furthermore, the DF issues technical reports on maritime signalling projects or those related to maritime signalling service zones and produces studies aimed at adopting new materials and equipment.
In fulfilling its mission, and always keeping in mind good practices for environmental sustainability, the DF has twice won the National Defence and Environment Prize, a milestone in the environmental awareness of the Portuguese Armed Forces, with the projects “Solar Energy at the Berlenga Lighthouse” and “The contribution of the National Maritime Authority, supported by the Navy, to the protection and defence of the Natural Reserve of the Selvagens Islands”, in 2001 and 2019, respectively.
As a founding member and national representative at the International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation (IALA), it actively promotes its heritage by making available to the public its Museological Section, which exhibits pieces of significant historical value, allowing visitors to understand the evolution of the mechanisms used in Portuguese lighthouses over time. In this context, Portugal is the 27th country to ratify the amendment in the status of the Convention of the Organization, enabling its constitution as an Intergovernmental Body.
Throughout their history, lighthouses have held a mystical fascination, whether for their isolation and prominent location, for their architectural and scientific heritage, or for the creation of a maritime symbology and culture among local communities. Nowadays, the DF represents a fundamental element of this national legacy of lighthouses and maritime signalling.
In celebration of the DF’s centenary in 2024, it gives us great pleasure to mark this event by means of a commemorative philatelic illustration that includes, among many others: Bugio lighthouse, for its history and uniqueness; Cabo da Roca lighthouse, which, erected in 1772, is the oldest working lighthouse in the country; Cabo de São Vicente lighthouse, the only one in Portugal to keep its impressive hyper-radiant lens; Ponta do Pargo lighthouse, which, at an altitude of 312 metres, is the highest; and Albarnaz lighthouse, the most westerly in Europe.
Pedro Gil Miranda de Castro Director of Lighthouses
