ADN-Madeira today defended the liberalisation of maritime transport between Madeira and Porto Santo. This at a time when the Lobo Marinho ferry, which connects the islands of the archipelago, will now undergo its yearly maintenance programme.
The ferry will be out of action for 6 weeks as modifications are being made to ensure that the ship is more environmentally friendly. The five million euro work will ensure that the vessel’s emissions will be reduced by 3.2 thousand tonnes of CO2 per year.
In his statement, Miguel Pita of the DNA says:
“Faced with another six-week break for the annual maintenance of the only existing Ferry in the Autonomous Region of Madeira authorized to make connections between Madeira and Porto Santo, the ADN Political Party – (National Democratic Alternative) considers that, despite the various campaigns and regional elections of recent years, the Madeirans and Porto Santo residents continue to be harmed in yet another constitutional right acquired, in this case with regard to maritime mobility between islands and the Portuguese continent, in the face of a monopoly that stubbornly persists in our regional society and makes us hostages of an economic group that dictates and imposes its own rules.”
In a statement sent this morning to the newsrooms, ADN argues that “the liberalisation of maritime transport between Madeira and Porto Santo would enable healthy and democratic competition, in which the population could choose according to value, quality, comfort, travel time.”
For ADN, such a solution would constitute a “possible alternative to the constraints of our Madeira airport in the face of wind and fog”, namely if the embarkation/disembarkation pier were moved to the port of Caniçal.
Taking advantage of the proximity between Santa Cruz and Caniçal, affected passengers could use a Ferry that would quickly and effectively make the connection between Porto Santo and Caniçal, in more than one daily trip, taking and bringing affected passengers, putting aside the equation of a possible new airport in Madeira
This is, moreover, a proposal of the party that dates from 2023, recalls the same note.
“Similar to what we had already proposed in 2023, it would be much more environmentally friendly if the embarkation/disembarkation pier was moved to the port of Caniçal, even if randomly on a few days in the week, as it would significantly reduce travel time, as well as emitting less pollution to the environment, decongest the Funchal pier, boost commercial development, create new infrastructures and consequently generated more jobs on the east coast of the Madeira Island, thus contributing to the existing decentralisation in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.”
ADN-Madeira thus defends “the end of this monopoly that leaves us limited to one ferry.
The approximately 3 thousand seats in air transport made available by the Porto Santo Line company to Porto Santo residents registered on the Portal Simplifica during the six weeks of maintenance of your ship, is not a viable solution in the opinion of DNA.
“This fact does not mitigate the losses to the regional tourism sector, which is also limited in travel between islands, as well as in the face of all Madeirans who intended to travel to Porto Santo or even the cargo planned during This period.”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
