The little boat of Regla, a well-known means of transport that connects that municipality with the rest of the territories of Havana via its crossing through the bay, has six boats in its fleet, although currently only one is in operation.
This was made known by the Minister of Transport, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, on his Facebook profile, where he stated that there are no known dates for putting into operation the five units that are currently idle at different bases in Havana.
"Uncertainty is normal due to the instability that passenger transportation has experienced in the Bay of Havana, after the Giraldilla and 4to Congreso boats were simultaneously put into operation a few weeks ago," begins the publication of the Cuban state official, who claims to seek to address the question: "Are there two boats?"
However, although that questioning is what drives the Minister, the reality is that there is only one small boat currently in operation, and it must stop for maintenance in the coming days, according to its own publication.
"The 4th Congress has remained stable for a long time, but the Cuban Ship Registry warns that the vessel is already overdue for maintenance, so it should be stopped soon," points out Rodríguez Dávila.
The minister points out that "its repair would not take more than 3 weeks" and assures that "any suspension would be announced in a timely manner, and it would only be in the event of having other vessels available so that the service does not regress."
The other vessel, named "La Giraldilla," despite being operational until a few days ago, had to stop because the engine it had installed was damaged.
It points out in its publication that they had previously reported that two engines had been imported for the boats of Regla and that the vessel in question received one of them during a repair carried out at CDC, Shipyards Company of the Maritime-Port Transport Business Group (Gemar).
The Minister explained about the other four vessels, which are named: La Coubre, 300 Anniversary, Baraguá, and Mártires de Tarará.
Regarding the first vessel, it was mentioned that it is stranded in Casablanca, undergoing repairs, and they expect it to start operating by August 15.
"The hull calibration has been completed and it went quite well. Some areas had scouring and under-caliber issues, and they are already being renewed. Work is also being done on the boat's carpentry, and cleaning has been carried out in all compartments. This boat has the other imported new engine. Progress must be made with the shot blasting," he commented.
For its part, the 300 Aniversario also has problems with the engine. However, carrying out the repair of this boat seems more complicated due to bureaucratic issues.
"The supplier, the mixed company UNEVOL S.A., must repair it, and we will assume the cost of that repair, a matter that is in process," the minister indicated, emphasizing that "the repair of the engine would practically put the vessel back in operation."
The worst technical conditions are found in the boats Baraguá and Mártires de Tarará, he pointed out. "The first one has problems with the hull and the engine. It is being assessed to install an electric motor and solar panels. Other alternatives will be considered; however, there are no certainties regarding its start-up date."
"La Mártires de Tarará, for its part, will be put ashore for inspection. There is also no definitive date for its repair," he stated.
Regarding a seventh vessel, used as a tugboat in the bay and currently stranded, he said they are evaluating the possibility of converting it to passenger transport, “a matter that is currently being projected to assess whether its execution is appropriate,” he noted.
At the end of May of this year, for the first time since November 2022, two boats from Regla sailed simultaneously in the bay of Havana.
"This does not mean that we have the right conditions to offer a stable service with the quality we desire," warned Minister Rodríguez Dávila at that time.
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