LISBON, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The vast Lisnave shipyard will be put up for sale in the first quarter of 2019, the Publico newspaper reported on Monday.

"We have begun evaluating the land and are drafting the terms of reference," said Miguel Cruz, president of Parpublica, the holding company in charge of the sale.

"This should be finished by the end of the year and we aim to launch the divestiture process in the first quarter of 2019," Cruz added, in a lengthy interview with the newspaper.

The site, known as the Margueira Shipyard, is located on the other side of the River Tagus to Lisbon, in the town of Almada.

Lisnave, a shipbuilding and shiprepair company, operated the site for 33 years, until the shipyard closed in 2000. It has remained derelict ever since.

Cruz said the 630,000 square meter site would be sold as a single lot. He confirmed that a number of interested parties had already visited the site, but no formal declarations of interest had yet been made.

According to Cruz, government plans to build a new airport in Montijo, another town across the river from Lisbon, help make the Margueira site attractive to investors.

Parpublica manages the Portuguese state's property assets and shares. It also handles the government's stake in companies such as the national airline TAP and the energy company Galp.