We were all sad to see the demise of the ferry last December linking Santiago de la Ribera with La Manga, a trip across the Mar Menor that proved to be extremely popular, particularly with holidaymakers, as it chugged across to the Puerto de Tomas Maestre.
Unfortunately, the ferry closed at the end of last year with little or no warning, and with absolutely no explanation, leaving regular users and holidaymakers alike extremely disappointed.
Most of it’s traffic came at weekends when local residents would prove to be the main travellers as, with family and friends, they would spend a relaxing afternoon, before enjoying a beer and a meal having crossed between the two ports.
So as to ensure the dependency of the service the San Javier Town Hall paid an annual subsidy to the operator, so when the service suddenly closed without any form of notice, it was more than the members of the public who were caught out unawares.
But now, the Councillor for Transport, Antonio Martinez Torrecil las, who attributed the stoppage of the service to “an internal problem within the company,” has announced that the service will be resumed in June with three water taxis.
No other details have yet been released although we do know that the water taxis will be much smaller and able to hold only 12 people each, whereas up to 70 were able to be carried on one journey by the ferry.
However, to compensate, the so-called ‘sea taxis’ will run more frequently than the ferry did, from 10am to 10pm, although with the schedule still to be published, it’s not yet known at what times, on what days or the cost.
