The Ibizan shipping company Aquabus ferry boats has acquired two twin ferries, 42 meters long and 11 meters wide, which are currently being transported by sea aboard a special transport vessel, similar to the one that brought the two new ferries for the Pitiusa ferry company Trasmapi. They are expected to arrive at the port of Ibiza at the beginning of March, between the 2nd and 3rd.
Until now, this ferry company was mainly dedicated to the maritime excursions, but also covered the Pitiusa line with smaller boats than those used by the other ferry companies, most of which were wooden hulled.
With these two new vessels, Aquabus would fully enter a line already operated by Baleària, Trasmapi (passenger and cargo), Mediterránea Pitiusa (only passenger) and Formentera Cargo (mainly transport of goods and vehicles, although their ships can also carry people). From January to August last year, this line handled more than 1,125,000 passengers.
Picture of the two ships carried by a special vessel. Piet Sinke/Masmondmaritime.com
Aquabus owner Leo Fleischer confirmed yesterday the arrival of the two ferries but declined to give further details. Neither their cost nor when they will be operational, nor whether he has purchased or chartered them, alone or with a partner.
The Balearic Islands Port Authority also confirmed that they are processing the permits requested by Aquabus for the mooring of its new boats. And, questioned about their entry into a line already saturated with more than 150 daily trips at peak times of the summer, they stated that they are developing the ordinance that should regulate the scales; “we hope to have this document available soon”, they said. “At the moment it is too early to know what the situation will be like this year” on this ferry line, they added.
Sources of the sector warn that the Govern “continues to insist the we reduce service frequencies but more ships continue arriving”.
The Consell de Formentera has been demanding for years that the routes on this line be reduced for safety reasons and, mainly, to protect the environment.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.