Heferry for the transportation of passengers between the Isla de la Juventud and the Batabanó maritime terminal, carried out its first test crossing with passengers and cargo on board this Thursday morning.
The ship left the port of Batabanó at 70 percent of its capacity, after leaving the waiting list in Havana at zero., according to the local press, which estimated the ship's arrival in Nueva Gerona at around two in the afternoon.
According to statements by the Vice Minister of Transportation, at the head of a commission that monitors the efficiency of the processes associated with passengers and rolling cargo, the test voyage"It was satisfactory because each of the processes took place within the expected time, which coincides with the opinions of the passengers surveyed."
The Perseverance ferry - Korean-made -It sails at an average speed of 11 knots, has large bathrooms and two passenger lounges that have a total capacity of 430.
It also hasa nurse on board and a cafeteria run by an MSME.
In the coming days a second crossing with passengers is planned to adjust transportation details before starting regular trips, which will be three times a week.
At the beginning of July the ferryhad successfully completed a first test crossing, but without passengers.
In that case, the head of operations and sales of the VIAMAR company, Lilian Castro Rivero, anticipated that this month another test would be carried out with passengers and cargo on board in order to properly design the operation andknow the real time of the process, which is estimated at more than 12 hours between round trip.
The Minister of Transport also pointed out that The most convenient departure times for the population and the operational flow of luggage, both carry-on and larger volumes, were still under evaluation.
He warned that there would be limits on the weight of the luggage and that these would be received at the port of origin and placed in a container that would go on board the vessel and be delivered to its owner once at the destination point.
The Cuban Government announced a year agothe purchase of this ferry for passenger transportation and cargo on the Gerona-Batabanó-Gerona maritime route.
On that occasion it was reported that the boat had been built in 2018, but the transaction figure was not specified. Official sources only indicated that it was a “million-dollar cost financed one hundred percent by the Cuban state.”
A month later, specialized brigades from the CDC Shipyards in Havana began the ship remodeling works to expand its premises and enable others for passenger transportation.
At the same time, specialized maritime works teams from the Ministry of Construction began dredging the channel that gave access to the port of Batabanó, in Mayabeque. This last work was carried out in an area of two kilometers in search of more depth to facilitate the passage of the ferry and other ships that navigate through the Batabanó-Gerona Strait.
Perseverancia is now the most modern ship of its type in Cuba, with advanced technology and high-precision navigation aid equipment.
At the closing of this note, it has not been revealed what the price of the tickets will be once the service begins regularly.
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