The Portimão section of the PSD today regretted, in a statement, that the Municipality of Portimão «has not known how to preserve the maritime route between the cities of Portimão and Funchal».
“The economic damages that the decision to end these trips will cause to the depleted and weak social and economic situation of Portimão are incalculable”, guarantees the PSD from Portimão, in a statement signed by its president Pedro Castelo Xavier.
Despite the Social Democrats' accusation of the majority socialist government in Portimão, the fact is that the end of the ferry connection between Portimão and Funchal, as revealed the Sul Informação and has been widely publicized by newspapers and other media on the continent and in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, it is attributed by the Spanish shipowner to the obstacles created by the Madeira Regional Government, headed by Alberto João Jardim (PSD).
The high fees charged at the Port of Funchal, considered by the Spanish shipowner as "the highest in Europe", were the basis for the cancellation of the connection that had been operated since 2008.
Javier Garcia, representative of the Spanish shipowner Naviera Armas, lamented that the importance “of this regular service was never recognized by the regional authorities” of Madeira. The Madeiran business associations and opposition accuse the regional government of protecting the Sousa group, concessionaire for port operations in the archipelago and with the monopoly on the maritime connection between the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo.
When taking stock of the costs of the operation between Funchal and Portimão, the Spanish shipowner reached the conclusion that «it was not possible to proceed with the service». Javier Garcia said that its continuity depended on two fundamental factors: higher rates and lower expenses.
In its statement, the PSD of Portimão also says that "a City Council that spent several years on end spending beyond its means has created a disastrous situation, the development of which will bring disaster after disaster."
Portimonse social democrats also claim to regret that "a political majority, endowed with all the means, has not known how to overcome obstacles in the sense of, at least, maintaining what still brought some wealth to the city and the municipality."
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