No Cargo In Funchal, Bye Bye Saga Rose, Airport Operator Suspends TRIAM Contract
It turns out after everything that the regional government had a hand in the decision of Naviera Armas to pull out of a second weekly voyage between Madeira and Portugal. The Secretary for Tourism and Transport of Madeira said on Friday, that the there is still interest in the second trip of the Naviera Armas ferry, but she has to protect the interests of passengers by limiting the transport of cargo on the vessel. She added that “the interests of Madeira and the port of Funchal have to be respected”, referring to giving top priority to passengers and to more cargo that is not welcome in Funchal. She also criticized the ship owners for their “lack of loyalty in deciding to disclose its decision through the media”. I suppose that’s a reasonable point, now that the port for cargo has been established in Caniçal.
Yesterday saw the 77th and final visit of the cruise ship Saga Rose, that has been coming to Madeira for 43 years, with its first visit on 21st April 1966. The article doesn’t say why it is the last visit, but a quick look at the Saga website shows that she will continue cruising until September, but that it is her ‘final season’. Do retired cruise ships go to the great gig in the sky with the rest of us, or do they have an equivalent resting place deep in the ocean I wonder?
ANAM, the Madeira Airport operating company, has suspended it’s use of TRIAM, the support services company at the airport, responsible for passenger and plane care. The official reason is through lack of a valid insurance policy, but it has been suspected for some time that TRIAM is on the verge of bankruptcy.
