After Funchal, it wants to connect, by ferry, to Spain and Morocco. The intention was revealed this Tuesday at the official ceremony of reception of the Volcan de Tijarafe, which concluded today the third trip between the capital of the island of Madeira and the city of Portimo.
José Luís Cacho, chairman of the board of directors of the Ports of Sines and Algarve, said that «for the future, ferry connections to Spain and Morocco are being evaluated» and Ana Paula Vitorino, minister of the sea, who was also present at the ceremony, confirmed these contacts.
“There are connections that may exist, for example to Morocco, but also to other regions. It has to be regions that are close in the first phase, but when we have greater funds, we will be able to have larger ships and apply for cruises that are farther away. At this stage, there are contacts and we will see how it goes», said the minister.
This possibility also pleases Isilda Gomes, mayor of Portimão, who has shown “the desire to extend this type of operation to other parts of the world. These connections give us another type of mobility options and attractive ways to transport tourists».
For now, after an interregnum of six years, the ferry connection to Funchal has been resumed, which, according to the minister, «produces a new alternative that brings more territorial cohesion, enabling territorial continuity in another way. It is also a way of boosting tourism in both the Algarve and Madeira, and a type of tourism that is often not possible by air, which is family tourism. Families can travel by car, for an affordable price, cheaper than the plane», he emphasizes.
Volcan de Tijarafe currently makes a weekly connection between Funchal and Portimão, but Ana Paula Vitorino does not close the door to an increase in frequencies. «What was agreed between the Regional Government of Madeira and the Government was that we would start by having a service during the summer months. Let's see how it evolves, if it goes well, if it goes very well, we can either extend the period of operation, want the weekly frequency. From the sample we have, it has been growing and I hope to extend the deadline, so that support is not needed to maintain the service».
This Tuesday, 290 passengers and 83 vehicles arrived in Portimão, on the ferry, and 268 passengers and 79 vehicles left for Funchal. The Volcan de Tijarafe has a capacity for 1000 passengers and 300 vehicles.
See photos from the ceremony and the ship:
Photos: Golden Gonçalo/Sul Informação
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